The Legend of Zelda: Severed Link
by Enterprise F
Summary: Six months after the Invasion of Twilight, Hyrule is threatened by a newly revived Ganondorf and only Link and Zelda can stop him. However, Ganondorf has more planned than the simple conquest of Hyrule, and his plans and the adventure that Link goes on could change everything he thought he knew about Hyrule's history.
1. Chapter 1

Legal Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda is copyright Nintendo. I do not own it, Nintendo does. It and all of its characters are the property of Nintendo and Shigeru Miyamoto.

Chapter 1:

Link rode through Hyrule Field upon his trusted horse Epona. He was a Hylian of about eighteen years of age with dark blond hair and blue eyes, and pointed ears, though they were not quite as pointed as some other Hylians'. He was tall and finely muscled. He wore a green tunic with a green floppy hood. He wore grayish leggings, brown boots and gauntlets, along with a chainmail shirt underneath his tunic. He was armed with a sword he had received from Rusl and had originally been planned to be given to the Hyrulean Royal Family as a gift but had served Link well on his last adventure, so Rusl had decided to let him keep it after he returned the Master Sword to the Pedestal of Time just outside the Temple of Time. Ordon Village was not a part of Hyrule proper, but the village and the kingdom were on friendly terms with one another. He also carried a Hylian Shield as well for defense. Hylian Shields were made out of steel and were the sturdiest shields in the land. It was said that nothing could break them and they could withstand any abuse thrown their way. Some said that there was something magical about them, but others merely said that their durability was due to their superior craftsmanship and skill in construction. He had many more weapons and equipment back at his house in Ordon Village, but he had not wanted to bog himself down with a great deal of equipment so he only brought a lantern with him and four bottles: one filled with Lantern Oil, another with Spring Water, and the other two filled with Red Potions.

It had been six months since the incursion by Zant and the monsters of the Twilight Realm; six months since he had defeated Ganondorf and saved all of Hyrule from the Twilight; six months since Midna had returned to the Twilight Realm to rule her people as the Twilight Princess, or now the Twilight Queen. He did not know why his thoughts had so quickly turned to Midna as he rode along calmly. He had friends back home in Ordon Village. Ilia was a very close friend from his childhood and had watched as he departed the village only a few days after returning to it. Malo, Talo, Beth, and Colin were also close to his heart and he always watched over them as best he could. He had been riding around the land, doing odd jobs and helping out people ever since he had defeated Zant and Ganondorf. So far, there had not been a lot of work for him to do. He felt as if he had lost something, something that could only be regained by going on an adventure. Despite having a home and friends in Ordon Village, he felt as if he did not really belong there, as if he was meant to wander the land, helping out people, exploring, and going on adventures.

The young man's thoughts soon turned back to Midna once more. He thought it funny how they had at first shared an antagonistic relationship with one another, each using the other for his or her own ends, and yet, by the end of the adventure, had grown to become very close friends, possibly more. He almost gave a chuckle and pushed the thought aside for the moment. This was not the time to think about romance, especially one that would likely have a next to zero chance of occurring. As he thought about her, though, he looked down at his hand and noticed his Triforce mark, a triangle that consisted of one triangle sitting on top of two other triangles, glowing. The lower right triangle of the Triforce, the mark of the Triforce of Courage, glowed, but the top triangle pulsed, almost as if it was trying to get his attention. He looked down at his hand, puzzled at what he was seeing. Zelda was not close by, from what he could tell, and Ganondorf was dead, so there was no way anyone could have gotten a hold of the Triforce of Power to use against him. Besides, none of the other effects of being in the presence of a Triforce piece bearer were coming into play.

He shrugged as he looked up and continued to gaze across Hyrule Field and looked in the direction of Hyrule Castle Town, which was too far away to be visible at the moment. He continued to look around to see where he should go next. The last week had been quiet without anything having happened. There had been no brigands that had gone after any carriages or convoys from the various villages to Hyrule Castle Town, or any other groups of hostiles to fight off. The kingdom and its surroundings were at peace. As such, he did the only thing he felt he could. He closed his eyes and randomly picked a direction to travel, hoping to come across an undiscovered cave or something else that would lead to adventure. After turning around for a bit, he opened his eyes and looked straight ahead. Then, spurring Epona on with a light kick, the duo took off, running away from the road.

He and Epona continued into their canter. He had been riding for almost an hour, taking steady breaks every quarter hour in order to rest Epona and for them both to take a drink. It was about time for him to take another break when he came to a rock in the center of the field just jutting out from the ground. It did not look artificial, but given that things had been slow, he decided to check it out. He gave a curt, "ho," and reigned in Epona, slowing her down until she was merely walking. They pulled up to the rock and eventually brought her to a stop. With one fluid motion, he dismounted the horse and went over to investigate the rock.

As he approached the rock, the hairs on his neck began to stand on end, as if he were being watched. Feeling that something was coming, he drew his sword as a precaution. The thick broadsword came out of its sheath with a ringing sound and he held it in one hand, drawing out his shield and placing it over his free arm. Despite supposedly being a two-handed weapon, he held the sword as if it were a short sword. Nearing the rock, he did not get the sense that there was anything magical about it, but he did not want to take any chances.

He soon arrived at the rock and examined it but he could find nothing strange about it. There were no markings on it or anything around it that indicated that it did not belong. Still, he was quite bored and he had nothing better to do so he figured that this would be a good place to rest.

He was about to sit on the rock when he heard the sounds of movement behind him. Before he could even turn around, he heard Epona neigh in fright. Turning around, he saw a six Bulblins, humanoid creatures with green skin and horns like those of a cow on the sides of their heads. They also had red eyes, wore masks and chain mail over their torso, and bandages on their arms. They had already surrounded Epona and were swinging their clubs at her. These Bulblins were armed with clubs, with one of them having a bow and arrow with a quiver of arrows on its back. The horse turned but did not flee from the attackers, instead rising up and bringing her front feet down on the Bulblin that was armed with the bow and arrow, crushing it. Link drew his sword and charged into the fray, quickly cutting down a Bulblin that was readying a strike at Epona's head. A second after the Bulblin's death its body darkened and it then vanished in a small explosion of fire as if a spell had been cast on them in order to make sure that, leaving an orange glow where his body used to be that died less than a second later. Just as it had been during the Twilight invasion, it appeared as if the Bulblins had a spell cast on them that would cause their bodies to disappear once they died so that they would not leave a corpse, and likely any weaponry for their enemies to pick up. Link's next sword swing cut down a third Bulblin, who was not smart enough to raise his club in an effort to block Link's swing.

The remaining Bulblins, seeing Link charge into the fight and kill two of their own, with Epona having killed another, decided that fleeing the fight would be preferable to staying in battle and fighting against a skilled swordsman. As such, they immediately turned and fled in the opposite direction as fast as their feet would take them.

Once the Bulblins had fled, Link quickly checked on Epona to make sure that she had not sustained any injuries. She appeared to be fine. Before he mounted her to flee the battle, though, he noticed that the bow that had been wielded by one of the Bulblins, the one killed by Epona, had not disappeared along with the bodies of the others. Next to it was a quiver that was still full of arrows. Grateful at his small fortune, Link picked up the discarded bow and quiver and pulled on the bow's string to see how strong it was. The pull was relatively strong, but not nearly as much as that of a Hero's Bow. He knew that this weapon was of an inferior quality to his own bow and arrow, but he was not concerned. It would suffice for his purposes while he went to track the surviving Bulblins, for he knew that if a Bulblin war band was attacking travelers, that it would be trouble. Wanting to deal with the threat before anyone was hurt, he slung the quiver and bow over his shoulder, sheathed his sword and mounted Epona. He then took off after the fleeing Bulblins, who were still in view once he had mounted Epona. As he pursued them, though, he was careful to stay far enough away to make it difficult for them to know that they were being tracked.

Meanwhile, over at the newly repaired Hyrule Castle, the former Princess, now Queen, Zelda, sat on a throne in her large throne room. She was tall, with dirty blonde hair that fell to the middle of her back with a braid on each side, blue eyes, and pointed ears that were the hallmark of the Hylian race. She wore a long white dress with the crest of Hyrule along with a pink top. She also wore long white gloves that covered her arms, along with gold shoulder adornments that covered the rest of her arms, and boots, which were not visible since the dress's skirt covered her feet. She also wore a crown with a blue Rupee in the middle. She also had a ceremonial sword at the side of her throne, but did not use it often. A monument depicting the complete Triforce, along with the three goddesses that created it, along with Hyrule: Din, Farore, and Nayru, sat behind the throne. This monument, along with the castle, had also been repaired after Link's battle with Ganondorf where the Gerudo King was believed to have finally been vanquished forever.

Several guards dressed in plate mail armor armed with spears and wielding large shields flanked Zelda as she sat on her throne. The guards also carried swords as well, but they were sheathed and were only to be used should they lose their spears. Zelda stared out at the throne room. It was sparsely furnished, with only a red carpet leading out to the massive double doors that led to the castle's exterior. A shipment of furniture was due to arrive today, which was the sole reason she was in the throne room, rather than in her chamber reading over the increasingly familiar reports of everything going well in the kingdom, or going out on a hunt or simply for a ride. Despite the fact that Ganondorf had been beaten and things had been quiet in the kingdom for the last six months, Zelda felt uneasy. She looked down at her right hand and saw the mark of the Triforce of Wisdom on it, but it was not glowing. Still, her uneasiness did not go away.

She rose from her throne and proceeded to head over to the doors so she could step out to get a breath of fresh air. Seeing her rise, the two guards flanking her bowed and proceeded to follow her. Seeing them follow, she turned back and told them, "Remain here. I'm just going out to the balcony to get a breath of fresh air. I'm tired of simply sitting on a throne with nothing to do."

The guards bowed and remained at their posts as Zelda approached the doors and went to push them open. The guards standing at the doors went to push them open for their new queen, but she waved them off. She arrived at the doors and shoved them open. Despite their size, they opened easily for the queen. As they opened, light flooded into the throne room, causing a few guards to shield their eyes as it poured in. Once they were open, Zelda exited the room and went outside.

She headed towards the steps that led up to the throne room. The guards that framed the door to the room bowed as she walked by and went to escort her down the stairs only to be waved off. She made her way down the stairs and over to the wall and gazed out over the land. The castle scene and the town spread out before her was calm. She could see people coming and going from the castle town and she felt relieved at the sight. Looking up into the sky, though, she noticed that the sunlight was beginning to fade as a cloud passed beneath the sun, blocking the light for a moment. Looking out into the sky some more, she saw dark gray clouds closing in towards the town and even the castle, itself. Looking down at her Triforce mark, she noticed that it still did not glow. However, that did little to assuage her fears that something was coming.

She then turned back around and went back up the steps and headed back up to the throne room. As she went to pass the bowing guards, she told them, "Keep an eye out for anyone, or anything, suspicious."

"Is something wrong my queen?" one of the guards asked.

Zelda thought about the question for a bit before answering, "I don't know. Just be on the lookout. I have a bad feeling that something is about to happen, and I don't think that it will be a good thing."

"Understood, my queen," the guards said, bowing as they resumed their duties. Zelda then went back into the throne room and went about telling her servants and the guards inside to prepare for potential trouble. While she could not put her finger on it or identify what the trouble was, she could not shake the feeling that something was coming, and her feelings were rarely wrong. As her servants and guards carried out their duties, they, too, began to be on edge, as if waiting for something to happen. After all, they knew that Zelda's hunches were rarely wrong.

Back in Hyrule Field, Link spent the next half hour tracking the Bulblins as they continued to flee towards what he hoped would be their base. If he could find their base, then he could find out why they had attacked him since King Bulblin and the Bulblins under his command had made peace with the people of Hyrule after Link had defeated him on his way to take down Ganondorf in Hyrule Castle. While the Bulblins had turned back to see if they were being followed, they somehow failed to spot Link and Epona as they tracked them. This also put Link on alert and he readied his Bulblin Bow, just in case he was being led into a trap.

It was not long before Link began to hear a series of roars and howls of what seemed to be a cross between pleasure and anger. He quickly looked around and saw that off in the distance, a horse carriage was being attacked by a large group of Bulblins riding Bullbos, boar-like creatures with long tusks and brown hair that are often used as mounts for Bulblins. The Bulblins emitted several hoots as they fired arrows into the tops of the carriage. Given some of the cries of the people onboard the carriage, it was clear that they would not hold out for long. Not giving it a second thought, Link diverted his attention away from the Bulblins he had been tracking and spurred Epona towards the Bulblins, unslinging his bow and drawing an arrow and notching it to the bow, hoping that the bow would be sturdy enough to last the battle.

As he charged into the fray, he noticed that one of the archers that was riding on the back of a Bullbo had drawn a Bomb Arrow and was preparing to fire it at the carriage. That was Link's first target. He pulled back on the string and let fly with an arrow. The arrow struck the Bulblin archer squarely in the back, causing him to fall over, and off the boar-like mount. Unfortunately, for the Bulblin attackers, the Bulblin archer dropped the now lit bomb onto the ground and a second Bullbo ran over the bomb, causing it to explode. The bomb's explosion killed not only the Bullbo, but also the rider and archer that were on its back.

Wasting no time, Link fired a second arrow into the ranks of the Bulblins, taking down a Bulblin rider, causing the boar-like mount to go wild and make a mad charge away from the fighting. The Bulblin archer attempted to reign in the beast, but was thrown off its back as the beast fled the battle. To add even more injury to its insult, the Bulblin was promptly trampled by Epona and killed as Link fired another arrow into a third Bulblin, this one also a rider, which caused the beast to go into a panic, throw the archer, and charge away from the battlefield. A fourth arrow found its mark in the chest of another Bulblin archer, allowing the rider to continue to hound the carriage. A fifth arrow took down the Bulblin rider, causing the Bullbo to flee the scene, charging off in a random direction. That left only two Bullbos along with the Bulblin archers and riders.

Link targeted another Bulblin rider and shot him in the chest with an arrow. The Bulblin fell off his mount and the archer went to try to reign in the Bullbo only to be tossed by the boar-like beast, which promptly fled the scene. The final Bulblin rider and archer, however, decided to turn its attention away from the carriage and deal with their attacker. The rider steered his Bullbo around and sent it charging towards Link. Link, not wanting to use more arrows against the Bulblins, slung the bow back over his shoulder and drew his sword. The Bulblin rider took out a club and drew it back in preparation for an attack. Link decided to meet the charge and spurred Epona directly towards the final Bulblin. Link held his sword out as he closed the distance between himself and the Bulblin. As soon as they were about to meet, Link had Epona swerve to the left as he held out his sword and swiped it across the chest of the Bulblin, being careful to remain out of reach of the monster's club. Link's Ordon Sword bit into the armor and flesh of the Bulblin and the dead or dying goblin was sent reeling backwards. The rider's body was lifted out of the saddle and sent flying into the archer knocking him off the Bullbo. The archer landed on his back and was slow to rise, searching for his bow. He found the bow a few feet away and quickly picked it up, notching an arrow to the string, searching for his assailant. He quickly spotted his assailant bearing down on him, sword in hand. It was far too late for him to do anything, though, for by the time he had even begun to draw back his arrow, Link beheaded him with a single swipe of his sword. The now headless Bulblin fell to the ground and a small explosion was seen as the body, and head, promptly disappeared.

Once the battle was over, Link headed over to the carriage and looked it over. At first glance, it did not appear to have sustained any damage. He went around and spotted the driver, along with the passengers. The driver was a human male with rounded ears, a hallmark of the human race and the only physical feature that distinguished them from Hylians, that Link instantly recognized as Rusl, a tall strong man with short blond hair. Looking at the other passengers, he found Rusl's wife, Uli, their son, Colin, and their infant daughter that Link did not know the name of. Uli was a young woman who looked to be in her late twenties, but was actually in her early thirties. She had short blond hair and blue eyes. She peered out and looked around at the scene. Seeing that there were no more attackers, she asked, "Is it over? Are they gone?"

"They're gone Uli," Rusl answered. "We're safe"

"What happened? I thought we were dead?" Uli said, relief evident in her voice.

Looking at Link, who was pulling up to the carriage, the Rusl answered, "We may well have been if it had not been for Link."

"Link's here?" the young Hylian heard the voice of Colin call out. Colin, a boy of about ten years of age with short blond hair and blue eyes that who strongly resembled his mother then peered out from the carriage and looked over to Link, smiling. "Thanks for the help, Link," he said. "It's been a while since we've seen you."

Uli then looked directly at Link and said, "On behalf of me and my family, thank you, Link."

"You're welcome," Link answered with comforting smile and a nod, sheathing his sword.

"You were awesome, Link," Colin said. Link noticed that he had a wooden sword and shield strapped on his back. Link did not give a blush, merely nodding in thanks for the compliment.

Before the conversation could continue, Rusl suggested, "We should be going, everyone. There may be more Bulblins coming."

"Yes, I agree," Uli agreed. Turning back to Link, she said, "Again, Link, my family and I thank you for your assistance."

"You're welcome," Link responded. Before departing, he asked, "Before I go, though, may I ask where you're going? There may be more Bulblins in the field."

"Hyrule Castle Town," Rusl answered. "We're making a delivery to the Malo Mart there. That's probably what the Bulblins were after."

"Would it be okay if I accompanied you?" Link asked. "If there are more Bulblins, you'll need some protection."

Rusl looked over at Uli, who was holding their infant daughter, and Colin. "Can he, Dad?" Colin asked. "It's been a while since we've seen him and he has a bow and arrow."

"If it's no problem with Link," Rusl answered with a smile, looking over at Link with a wink and a grin. Link indicated that he had no problems escorting them to Hyrule Castle Town. Once it was decided that there would be no issues, Rusl exclaimed, "Excellent. Now, we must get going. We should do our best to reach the Castle Town as quickly as possible."

The rest of her family agreed, as did Link, who moved Epona to the side and flanked them, drawing out his bow, readying it just in case more Bulblins came to attack. Once everyone was ready, the carriage proceeded to begin to move, searching for the road that led to Hyrule Castle Town.

For the first half hour or so, the trip towards the Castle Town was free of incident. During that time, Colin talked to Link from the seat next to his mother on the carriage. He told Link that Ilia was still waiting back in Ordon Village for him to return. She would be thrilled to learn that he was okay. Talo and Beth had also been curious about his adventures. As for Colin, he had been practicing with the sword and had gotten quite good with it. He had graduated from using a simple wooden sword and was beginning to train and practice with real metal swords now. Uli was still concerned for his safety but she did not stop him from training. Looking over at her, Link could tell that Colin's mother was very proud of the young man he was becoming.

Rusl also talked about some of his own adventures. Fado greatly missed Link, mainly due to the fact that Link was a great wrangler. Link had a perfect record in the reigning in of goats that broke out of the ranch's enclosure. With Link's departure, Fado had been required to get better at stopping any runaway goats, which he had. So far, he had not lost any goats since Link left. Mayor Bo was still in charge in the village, and Ilia was doing well, too. She greatly missed Link and had told Rusl and Colin to send Link her best regards and to tell him that she was eagerly awaiting him back in the village. Everyone else back at the village was doing well, too. Colin eagerly told Link about how Malo Mart's business was booming in the Castle Town and in Kakariko Village. He was even thinking about buying Sera's shop back in Ordon Village, but Sera was resistant to the idea. Colin thought that it would only be a matter of time before Malo bought the shop, but he Malo was not pushing the issue, likely due to the close bond that the people of Ordon shared with one another.

As for everyone else, there were no other issues that were coming up in the village. Everyone was satisfied, though Colin and Talo were training hard in the sword so that if the village ever did come under attack, that they would be able to defend it and protect everyone, just as Link had with them.

After a half hour, though, an ominous feeling came over Link and Rusl as they looked over at the horizon and saw the Castle Town off in the distance. They saw blur of motion close to the horizon. Link instinctively grabbed his bow and was ready to draw an arrow from his quiver. He looked over at Rusl and nodded. Rusl spurred the horses on and the carriage picked up speed as it headed towards the town. After a few minutes, the howls of Bulblins could be heard off in the distance. As they got louder, Link took aim off in the distance, ready to let fly with an arrow as soon as a Bulblin got within range.

Sure enough, after a few more minutes, the howls got louder and Link spied a group of Bulblins rushing towards the carriage, riding Bullbos. Leading the group was a large Bulblin, riding a larger than normal Bullbo. Link thought for a minute that it was King Bulblin, but when he studied the boar-like steed, he noticed that its color was off, being dark brown, rather than having a bluish hue. Still, the new Bulblin Leader looked to be formidable, for he had a spear, along with a longbow.

As the Bulblins charged forward, Link took aim at the lead Bulblin and once the attacker was within range, he let fly with an arrow. The whistle of the arrow could be heard as it streaked towards the Bulblin. The goblin-like rider did not have time to swerve his steed out of the way of the arrow and did not think to duck to avoid it, so he took the arrow straight in the chest. The arrow pierced the armor with ease and stuck in the beast as the force of the arrow knocked it backwards and into the archer. Both Bulblins fell of their Bullbo and the boar-like beast swerved and dashed off away from the new battle scene.

Link prepared a second arrow and went to take aim at the next Bulblin when he heard a loud cry come from the sky. Turning and looking up, he saw several Kargaroks, large bird-like creatures diving towards the carriage. He noticed that one of the Kargaroks was larger than the others and looked to be almost pitch black, greatly resembling its Shadow counterpart that had appeared when the realm had been covered in Twilight. He also noticed the Kargaroks carrying bombs in their talons, with Bulblins riding them. A large Bulblin wearing ornate gold armor was riding the pitch black Kargarok, indicating that it was either the King Bulblin or the likely real leader of the Bulblin attack force.

Link grimaced as he watched the force of Bulblin cavalry riding towards the carriage, along with the aerial forces coming to dive bomb them. Looking over to Rusl, he asked, "Rusl, do you have any bows and arrows in the carriage?"

Rusl looked back at Colin, his gaze asking the same question that Link had just asked him. Colin pulled out a single bow and a quiver of arrows. "How good are you with the bow, Colin?" the boy's father asked.

"Okay, why?" Colin asked in reply.

"Because we've got enemies both in the air and on the ground," came the answer. Looking over at Link, he said, "You take the ones in the air. Colin and I will deal with the ones on the ground. We only have to hold out long enough for us to reach the castle town."

"Right," Link answered as he focused his attention towards the Kargaroks and Bulblin riders in the sky. Since there were only six Kargaroks in the air, Link figured that taking them down should not be too much of a problem. Once he had dealt with them, he would assist Rusl and Colin in dealing with the remaining Bulblin riders.

He drew out an arrow and strung it to the bow, pulling back on the string, spurring Epona to ride forward with the carriage as he turned and focused on the incoming Kargaroks. He targeted the lead Kargarok and let fly with an arrow. The arrow struck the Kargarok in the wing, causing it give a cry as it fell out of the sky and drop the bomb. The bomb struck the ground well away from the carriage and promptly detonated, throwing up dirt and grass, but inflicting no damage to the carriage. As the Kargarok fell, it turned upside down and landed on its back, which was unfortunate for its rider as it crushed the rider when it hit the ground. It gave a loud cry as the carriage and Link fled the scene, heading closer and closer to Hyrule Castle Town. Ignoring the bird's cry, Link strung a second arrow and focused on the rest of the squadron, but the other Kargaroks wisely decided to bank to the side and split up so that they would not be so easily targeted and felled.

A second Kargarok performed a series of evasive maneuvers as it dove back down towards the carriage, the lit bomb still in its talons. Link scanned the area and saw that it was the closest attacker and he let fly with an arrow. The rider of this bird-like enemy was ready for the shot and pulled up at the last moment, allowing the arrow to sail underneath the body of the Kargarok. Unfortunately, the arrow just happened to score a direct hit on the bomb, which spontaneously detonated, blowing apart both the Kargarok and the rider that had been flying it. Link looked up and saw that he had only four more Kargaroks to deal with. He took a quick glance over at Colin and Rusl to see how they were handling the ground bound enemies. Several arrows had been fired into the carriage, but none of them were flaming and none of them had managed to hit Rusl or any of his family members. He saw Colin shoot a Bulblin rider in the head, knocking the goblin-like enemy off the steed. The steed then threw off the archer and sprinted away from the scene, throwing the hapless Bulblin directly into the path of the carriage, where he was promptly trampled and crushed.

Turning back to the aerial assault, he targeted another Kargarok and let fly with an arrow. This one managed to dodge the arrow completely, forcing Link to draw another arrow and string it to his bow. As the other Kargarok went into its ascent to avoid the arrow, the Hylian noticed another one diving straight towards the carriage. He quickly drew a bead on it and let fly with an arrow. The arrow hit true and struck the Kargarok in the head, felling it with one shot. The large bird-like enemy plummeted to the ground, dropping its bomb a safe distance away from the carriage, where it detonated, harmlessly, and crashed into the ground, throwing up a small cloud of dirt. Link did not bother to see if the rider had survived and it he had, what condition he was in. He merely focused on the three remaining Kargaroks.

He saw the one that had avoided his earlier shot dive back down towards the carriage. The fuse on its bomb must have gotten short, for the bird no longer carried a bomb, instead, diving directly at the carriage so it could tear off its top cloth-like covering. It landed on top of the carriage and began to peck at the covering, tearing off large hunks of cloth. Link also noticed the Bulblin rider notching an arrow to his bow. Wasting no time, the Hylian hero notched his own arrow to his bow and let fly at the Bulblin. Before the arrow could hit the Bulblin, though, the Kargarok reared back in preparation to thrust its beak through the covering once more. As it reared back, though, it took the arrow in its center of mass and gave a loud cry before it fell away from the carriage. However, the Bulblin archer did not fall off the carriage with it, instead, jumping off its wounded mount and landing on the carriage. He went to take aim at Colin, who had just noticed his arrival, but was caught off guard when the boy turned and fired an arrow directly at him. The arrow struck the Bulblin in the chest, piercing his armor with ease, and caused him to fall backwards. The hapless creature fell backwards and rolled off the carriage, being left in the dust either dead or dying. Link turned to Colin and gave a nod in salute. Colin returned Link's salute before focusing back on the Bulblin riders that were still attacking the carriage.

Link soon turned his attention back to the two remaining Kargaroks. He noticed that these still had bombs in their talons. He figured that the Bulblin riders must have lit more bombs for the birds to drop on the carriage and Epona. He took aim at the lead Kargarok and fired. This arrow struck the rider, who in his fall, pulled the bird-like creature to the left and caused it to drop its bomb well away from the carriage. After the Bulblin fell, the Kargarok flew off away from the battle. That left only the lead Kargarok and the lead Bulblin for Link to deal with.

Feeling his quiver, Link knew that he only had four arrows left. Despite there being only one Kargarok left, he knew that he would want to have some arrows left to deal with the Bulblin cavalry attacking the carriage. As such, he drew an arrow and targeted the Bulblin Leader riding the Kargarok. The bird began a dive towards the carriage and the Bulblin rider gave a howl as the bird began its dive. Link took careful aim at the Bulblin leader and made certain that he had a bead on the rider before he let loose the arrow. Once he was certain of his aim, he let fly with the arrow and the twang from the bow sounded as he fired. The arrow rocketed from the bow into the sky, streaking straight towards the Bulblin Leader. The arrow's aim was true and it scored a direct hit in the center of mass on the Bulblin Leader. The Leader gave a cry as the arrow pierced his armor and he dropped his bow. He then fell from the Kargarok, pulling it to the right, causing the bird to drop its bomb a safe distance from the arrow, and the Kargarok fled the battle. The Bulblin Leader crashed into the ground, breaking his horn upon hitting the ground. Link did not stay and check to see if the Bulblin Leader was alive or dead. He just turned his attention towards the remaining Bulblin attackers and Bullbos that were surrounding the carriage.

As he went to join the fight on the ground, he saw that the carriage was getting closer and closer to Hyrule Castle Town. They would not have to hold off the Bulblins for much longer. Still, he did not want to lose Rusl, the carriage, or anyone on it in the final moments of the fighting. He plunged into the Bulblin lines, swinging his sword at the closest Bulblin, decapitating the attacker with a single swing. Link quickly searched the battle lines for the leader of the assault. He saw the large Bulblin and Bullbo charging towards the carriage, the large Bulblin notching an arrow to his bow. Seeing that he did not have any time to rush over and charge the leader, Link drew his bow once more and took out an arrow. Putting the arrow to the string, he drew back on his bow and let fly with the arrow. The arrow whistled as it flew through the air and hit the Bulblin squarely in the head, felling the leader with one hit.

The moment the new Bulblin Leader fell to the ground with an arrow protruding from his head, the other Bulblins turned and saw their fallen leader, felled by an arrow. They looked over at Link and roared in rage. Forgetting all about the carriage, they went to charge directly towards Link in an effort to avenge their leader. Link grinned as they focused on him and turned away from the carriage. Spurring Epona on, he charged directly into their ranks, firing off his two remaining arrows to take down two more Bulblins before dropping his bow and drawing his sword.

He held his sword as he rushed towards the center of the Bulblin lines. As he did so, several arrows whistled by his head as the Bulblin archers unsuccessfully attempted to take him down. As soon as he was in the center of their lines, he performed a spin attack, spinning his sword, becoming a whirling dervish of death to his attackers. Four Bulblins were knocked off their Bullbos, massive lacerations in their abdomens as they were either killed or severely wounded by Link's spin attack. Any Bulblins that survived Link's attack were quickly trampled by Bullbos as the rest of the force drew their clubs and attempted to take down the carriage's defender. Still, they were no match for Link and with each swing of his sword, another Bulblin was either knocked off of his mount, killed, or beheaded.

The battle would not last for much longer, for the carriage was getting very close to Hyrule Castle Town. As the carriage approached, Rusl drew out a horn and blew into it, emitting a loud blaring. As soon as the horn sounded, the drawbridge to the Castle Town began to lower to grant the carriage access to the town. Link also saw a number of figures appear on the top of the wall and he quickly sheathed his sword as he went to cover the carriage, making sure to let the soldiers on top of the wall know that he was not the enemy. The soldiers must have realized that he was a friend, for while they drew back on their bows, they did not fire until Link was close to the carriage. The Bulblins were not so lucky as arrows rained down upon the Bulblins. Most of the assault force was taken down in the initial volley, numerous arrows sticking out of many of the Bulblins and their Bullbo mounts. The few survivors were smart enough to see that the attack on the carriage had failed, and was getting exceedingly costly and decided to cut their losses and flee the scene, allowing the carriage and Link to enter the town unmolested.

As soon as the carriage was safely across the drawbridge, Rusl and his family looked over at Link and he saluted the Hylian teen. "Thank you for your help Link. You've gotten even better since your last adventure."

"Thank you for letting me help," Link responded.

Rusl gave a smile and then told him, "Come on, Link. We're taking our wares to the Malo Mart. Malo will want to see you."

Link gave a smile and nodded, agreeing that it would be a good idea to see Malo. Perhaps he would have a bow that he could borrow since his other bow was back at his house in Ordon Village. As he rode, he noticed the Triforce mark on his hand begin to glow, with the lower right triangle's glow being completely filled in. While he was not surprised, since he knew that Zelda had the Triforce of Wisdom and that was likely the reason why the Triforce of Courage was glowing, he could not help but feel that something bad was coming.

Meanwhile, back in Hyrule Castle, Zelda stood in her throne room as reports came back to her about how a host of Bulblins had attacked a carriage, but the carriage had been assisted by a single Hylian warrior. As soon as the report was made, she noticed her Triforce of Wisdom begin to glow. She figured that it was Link, for she guessed that he had ridden into town with the carriage. Still, she had a bad feeling that something was about to happen.

As if someone was reading her mind, darkness suddenly surrounded the throne room and the Hylian knights were put on edge. Immediately, four Moblins, large bipedal pig-like enemies wearing chain mail armor and carrying spears appeared in the throne room. Zelda held out her hands and a blast of flame emerged from them. The blast of flame lashed out at one of the Moblins and struck it, melting its armor and setting it ablaze. A second Moblin knocked down a Hylian soldier with a swipe of his spear, but was quickly swarmed by three other soldiers, the warriors stabbing the armored enemy soldier until its armor was breached and it fell.

The soldiers went to face down the other Moblins when they suddenly stopped moving, standing still as if they were petrified. Zelda felt a spell come over her, but she quickly countered it with the power from the Triforce of Wisdom. She then looked forward and her eyes went wide as she saw the figure of none other than Ganondorf walk through the doors, flanked by two Darknuts, large armored soldiers that carried large swords. Ganondorf wore black armor and had a cape trailing him. He did not appear to be armed with any weapons, but Zelda knew that that could change at a moment's notice. "Greetings Your Grace," Ganondorf began. "It's been a while since we last met."

Zelda's gaze hardened and she focused on Ganondorf. "What do you want?" the Hyrulean Queen demanded.

"I want to rule Hyrule, as is my destiny," the Gerudo King declared. "You will now surrender this world to me or everyone in this castle, and in the town below, will die."

Zelda gave a smirk as the Triforce of Wisdom glowed in her hand. "That will be more difficult than you expect," she challenged, showing Ganondorf her Triforce mark. Ganondorf merely smirked. She then used a spell to force the Gerudo man away. A rush of wind buffeted Ganondorf, but all that occurred was the billowing of the Gerudo King's cape in the wind. Ganondorf, himself, was clearly unaffected. Still, he gave an almost approving smirk.

"It seems as if you've improved since our last meeting." He then grinned. "But it will do you little good in the end. You can't win." Ganondorf's Triforce of Power then glowed in his right hand.

Zelda scowled as she prepared to do battle with Ganondorf. She knew that she was about to enter the fight of her life, a fight that she may very well lose.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Over in Hyrule Castle Town, Link rode Epona through the bustling streets. All along the sides of the street, vendors were selling their wares to a multitude of clients, and many shoppers were busy looking at the merchandise sold by the various vendors. As he rode, three teenage girls, one with red hair, another with green, and a third with blue hair, noticed him ride by and, remembering him from the time he played and beat the STAR mini game. No one had known that Purlo, the inventor of the game, had intended for it to be unbeatable in order to scam people out of their hard earned money. Link, however, had managed to beat it twice, managing to get two quiver upgrades upon winning. As he rode by, the girls gave a cheer, crying, "It's him! It's Link!"

They rushed over to him and swooned before him. Link's eyes went wide with shock, and anxiety. He was quite uncomfortable with their display of fangirly affection. Colin chuckled at the scene as they rode towards the Malo Mart Castle Branch. "I didn't know you had a fan club," Colin joked.

Link gave no response as he continued to ride towards the Central Square, where the Malo Mart Castle Branch was located. Seeing the store, they saw a large line standing outside the store, waiting to get inside. Rusl rode past the line, heading to the rear of the store. Some curious bystanders glanced at the carriage, hoping to get a good look at whatever merchandise was about to be delivered to the store. Link, too, was curious to see what was being delivered to the store, for he had an ominous feeling come over him as he scanned the village and turned his gaze towards Hyrule Castle. He shook off the feeling, though as he continued to ride next to the carriage as it pulled up to the back of the store so it could unload its merchandise.

As the carriage pulled up to the rear of the store, the large back doors to the store's storage area opened and several workers came out and approached the carriage. Rusl ushered them to the back of the carriage where a stepping stool was raised so the workers could get to the supplies. Rusl went to the rear of the carriage and helped to unload the supplies. The entire process took about a half hour, for there was a large amount of merchandise being brought to the store.

While he was helping to unload the supplies, Rusl turned and saw Link still sitting on Epona, waiting to see if there was anything else he could do. Rusl called Link over and the Hylian approached the carriage. Rusl then handed Link two large orange Rupees and told him, "This is thanks for helping our family on the way here."

Link was uncomfortable at receiving the reward and went to give the Rupees back, saying, "You're one of my mentors and a good friend. I can't accept this from you."

"Take it, Link," Rusl insisted kindly, handing the Rupees back to Link. "I know you go on numerous adventures and you have helped a great many people, even after the Twilight Incident. You need this more than I do."

Eventually, Link accepted the gift and he put them in his wallet. After he accepted the Rupee, he asked Rusl, "Is there anything else I can do?"

"You've done more than enough, Link," came the answer. "We can handle things from here."

Link gave a nod and then ushered Epona to her left and they moved to the front of the store. Once they arrived at the front of the store, the line was still quite long. Still, there was little that he needed at the moment so he was not in any great hurry to get into the store and check out its merchandise just yet. He decided to head on over to the café bar on the southwest side of the central square to sit back and relax for a bit before heading back to Ordon Village to get back in touch with the people there.

He pulled up to the café bar and found an area where he could have Epona rest as he went to relax at the bar. He then went up a series of steps to reach the bar. The bar, itself, was a small building with a stone roof and a blue awning over the porch. There were several tables outside covered with pink tablecloths and blue umbrellas to shield the patrons from the sun and/or rain. There were a few customers sitting at the outside tables. They were all Hylians and there was nothing all that distinctive about them. As Link went to sit down, a waitress came over wearing a white dress. "Hello, welcome to the Castle Town Café Bar," she told Link in a cheerful voice, despite the fact that he was armed and his chain mail shirt was visible beneath his tunic. "Is there anything I can get for you?"

"May I see what's on the menu?" Link asked.

"Sure," the waitress answered cheerfully. "I'll bring one out right away."

He then sat down at one of the table and waited for the menu. As he waited, he could not help but overhear some of the conversations being had by several of the customers. One particular conversation got his attention very quickly. "Did you hear about what's happening over at Hyrule Castle Town?" one of the patrons, a Hylian woman in her early thirties asked a Hylian man of about the same age sitting across from her at her table.

"No. What's happening?"

"Reports are sketchy at best, but from what I've heard, there's been an attack on the castle," the woman answered in concerned tone of voice.

"An attack?" the man blurted, unable to contain his shock. "How could the castle come under attack and we not know about it?"

"I don't know," the woman answered, shaking her head. "It's all just rumors. I heard it from a friend who said he saw a Hyrulean Knight fleeing the castle. It all sounds pretty farfetched to me."

"You never know. There was that attack six months ago or so. The whole land was covered by some mysterious twilight and monsters suddenly appeared in the land with no apparent source."

"If what the knight says is true, this was different, though. There was no mysterious twilight substance that suddenly appeared. It's just that a bunch of Moblins and Bokoblins appeared inside the castle and came running through the door."

"That's strange considering there haven't been any monsters running rampant through Hyrule Castle Town," the man said thoughtfully.

"As I said before, it could all just be rumor, but the fear evident on the face of the knight makes me think that something _is_ going on in the castle."

The man then nodded and the two got back to sipping their drinks.

Link listened intently as the two were speaking, making sure not to miss a single word. As he listened, he began to grow concerned. Despite the possibility that the reports on another assault being launched on Hyrule Castle was merely a rumor coming from a potentially unreliable source, he knew that Bulblins were back out in force on Hyrule Field. Even if King Bulblin was not the leader of the band of Bulblins that had attacked Rusl's carriage, he knew that it was not out of the question for another force to be attacking Hyrule with the Bulblins allying themselves with the force simply because of their strength. After all, King Bulblin had told him that he merely served the strongest side after their final fight. However, before going over to Hyrule Castle, Link knew that it would be wise to equip himself better than he currently was, for he remembered that on his last trek through the castle, he had needed to use several items in order to make it up to the throne room. As such, he felt that his first order of business would be to go over to the Malo Mart Castle Branch and see what items they had.

Just as he was about to leave, the waitress came over and placed a menu in front of him. He looked it over and saw that it was selling something called Lon Lon Milk, something that was said to be able to restore as much health as his current Red Potions. Placing his bottle of Spring Water on the table, he asked the waitress, "May I please have a bottle of Lon Lon Milk? You can pour out the Spring Water if you wish."

"Sure thing," the waitress replied cheerfully, taking the bottle as she went behind the counter to empty Link's bottle of Spring Water and fill it with Lon Lon Milk. Link waited at his table as he heard more people talking about the strange goings on around the castle.

"I heard someone say that the guy attacking Hyrule Castle was none other than Ganondorf," one person said.

"Ganondorf? No way," the Hylian's friend retorted in disbelief. "There's no way he's still alive."

"Don't be so sure," the first one cautioned. "There's a rumor going around that the Gerudo King and Zelda are linked somehow.

"Perhaps," the friend said skeptically. "Still, you've gotta wonder why he would still not use the Triforce to break the spell if that old fairytale from Skyloft turns out to be true."

"He likely doesn't have the full Triforce," came the answer. The friend gave a shrug and the two then returned to sipping their drinks.

Link was listening carefully to the conversation when the waitress returned with a bottle full of Lon Lon Milk. She placed the bottle on the table and said, "That'll be ten Rupees."

Link thanked the waitress as he took his bottle and left the ten Rupees, plus five for the tip. He then placed it alongside the rest of his bottles and then rose to leave the café.

He walked down the stairs and stood off at the side of the road near the wall of a building. There, he planned his next course of action. He considered going back to Ordon Village to get all of his weapons, and possibly heading over to the Temple of Time to draw the Master Sword to use against Ganondorf. However, such a plan would take a long time to come to fruition, possibly a day, especially if the Bulblins were now in the service of the Gerudo King once more. Still, he strongly considered taking such action, for he knew that Ganondorf was unlike any other foe he had ever faced before. The Master Sword had been essential in defeating him. It should have killed him. He could have sworn that the sword had, indeed, been the demise of the Gerudo King. He quickly shook off the thought. He realized that he did not have the time to go all the way back to Ordon, then the Temple of Time, and come all the way back to the castle. He had to go now and hope that Zelda still had some Light Arrows and that they could be used to kill the Gerudo King. Knowing that he would need more supplies in order to have the greatest chance of victory, though, he headed towards the Malo Mart Castle Branch in order to equip himself better for whatever was going to be waiting for him in the castle. If Ganondorf had returned, he would need everything he could get to try to hold off the Gerudo King while Zelda took him down, for without the Master Sword, he did not know of a weapon that would be effective against the Gerudo King save for Zelda's Light Arrows.

As he approached the store, he noticed that the line had thinned out greatly. He could see the pictures of a stern, yet almost infant-like Malo plastered on some of the store's windows. Ignoring the pictures of his friend, he went up the three steps to the porch, and proceeded to enter.

Inside, he saw that the wall behind the counter was full of items on display. He saw bombs, Water Bombs, Bomblings, arrows, a new mechanical bomb called a Bombchu, Blue Potions, and Red Potions. There was also a heavy suit of armor in the corner that was labeled as a suit of Iron Knuckle Armor. It came equipped with not only the armor, but also a massive axe as well. Next to it was sack on a hangar. The item's description read: _Strange Sack – This item can hold any and all of your belongings. It is perfect for taking all of your wares with you should you move without having to bog down your horse, carriage. It can also conceal your valuables from home during your move as well_.

Link was very interested in the item and continued to look at it. It would be perfect for holding all of his items now that Midna had returned to the Twilight Realm. After a few moments, the shopkeeper, a Hylian man named Malver, who was dressed in flamboyant clothing, had finished with another customer and noticed that Link was looking at the merchandise. He came over to the young man and said, "Welcome to Castle Town Malo Mart. Is there anything I can help you find?" Before Link could give an answer, though, Malver recognized him and blurted, "Hey, I remember you. You're the one who bought that Magic Armor!"

Link looked at him and almost blushed. He did not like having a great deal of attention being drawn to him. After a moment, Malver then asked, "Is there anything I can help you find?"

Link looked over at the Strange Sack and asked, "How much does the Strange Sack cost?"

"You're most fortunate, for the Strange Sack is on sale today. Normally it's about three hundred Rupees, but today, it's on sale for only one hundred. Would you like to buy it?"

Link nodded. He then took out his large orange Rupee and plopped it down in front of Malver. Malver took it and handed over the Strange Sack. "Is there anything else I can get for you?" Malver asked.

Link looked at the Bombchus and answered, "Could I take a look at those Bombchus?"

"Sure thing."

Malver then went over to a small pack of Bombchus and told Link, "As you probably have guessed, Bombchus are mechanical mouse-shaped bombs. Place them on the ground and watch them go off in a zigzag pattern yet in an overall straight line towards the target. Unlike Bomblings, though, Bombchus will crawl up walls, making them highly useful tools. This pack contains ten Bombchus. They cost fifty Rupees. Would you like some? They come with a small pouch, free of charge."

Link nodded. He gave Malver his second Orange Rupee and Malver handed Link the packet of Bombchus and a purple Rupee in change. Once Link received his merchandise he left the counter and went to leave the store. As he left, he heard Malver call out to him, "Thank you. Come again."

Link then departed the store and headed on the north road towards the castle, hoping that his loadout would be enough for him to at least put up a fight against Ganondorf and allow Zelda a chance to escape. As he walked through the central square and head towards the castle, he saw a quartet Hyrulean Knights come running into town from the castle. They wore the standard armor of a knight and three of them were tall, but one was short and overweight. Link ran over to them and blocked their way, causing them to skid to a halt, so he could ask them what was going on. Before he could say anything, though, they cried, "What the heck do you think you're doing? The castle's being attacked by monsters, including a guy who seems to have a piece of the Triforce! We've gotta get outta here fast!"

Link scowled as the four "Knights" fled the scene, running into town. He strongly suspected that they were the same knights that had fled Telma's Bar when she had requested help to get the Zora Prince Ralis over to Kakariko Village safely. He, however, did not hesitate to run headfirst towards the danger and he increased his pace as he ran out of the town's central square and headed towards the castle.

As he approached the castle, he cautiously stepped forward to make sure that there were no traps or barriers that would bar his way. He was relieved to find that there was no barrier surrounding the castle blocking his progress. He then went through the archway and entered the castle's courtyard.

The castle was just as he remembered it. There were many towers surrounding the central tower, which stood out as the tallest tower of the castle. He was certain that Zelda was located in the central tower. He soon scanned the area and saw that there were several pillars located all throughout the courtyard. They would be the perfect spots for archers to lie in wait for unsuspecting trespassers. He cared little as he stepped forward, hoping to draw out some of the archers, for he felt as if he would need a new bow and some arrows until he could get his Hero's Bow back in Ordon Village.

As he stepped forward, two Bulblin archers stood tall on two of the nearest pillars and drew out their bows, stringing arrows to them. Wasting no time, Link pulled out one of his Bombchus and set it on the ground. The Bombchu rolled towards the closest pillar in a zigzag pattern, confusing the Bulblin archer. The archer diverted his attention away from Link and towards the mechanical explosive mouse that was coming his way. He fired an arrow at the mouse, only for it to miss. The second archer also targeted the mouse, fearing that it was some sort of weapon. The mouse soon reached the pillar and began to climb it, though its pattern caused it to circumnavigate the pillar several times, not making much progress up the pillar. The Bulblin archer on the other pillar, however, was not too concerned. He managed to draw a bead on the mouse and predict where it would be when he fired his next arrow. Leading with the arrow, he let loose with the arrow, the whistling projectile rapidly crossing the distance between the archer and mouse. The arrow scored a direct hit on the mouse, which proved disastrous for the Bulblin on the pillar, for the arrow caused the Bombchu to explode and destroy the pillar. The explosion blew apart the pillar, sending rocks and cement flying in all directions. The explosion also flung the Bulblin off the pillar, hurling him through the air and to the ground several meters away.

Link wasted no time approaching the fallen Bulblin. The creature writhed slowly and attempted to stand, only to be finished off with a stab to the heart by Link's sword. The Hylian hero then stooped down and picked up the Bulblin's quiver. He saw that there were at least ten arrows in it, and likely more. He slung the quiver over his back and proceeded to search for the bow, finding it not too far away from the now dead Bulblin. He went over and picked it up. As he did so, Link heard a whistle and felt a gust of wind as an arrow sped by, missing the teen by less than an inch. He turned and found the second Bulblin archer still targeting him, stringing another arrow to his bow. Link responded in kind, stringing an arrow to his own bow and pulling back on the string. Once he had drawn a bead on the Bulblin, he let fly with the arrow. The arrow sped towards the Bulblin, who lacked the foresight or sense of self-preservation to duck. The arrow struck him in the heart, piercing his armor with ease. The Bulblin instantly dropped his bow and fell, face first, off the pillar and into the ground. Link rushed over to pick up the Bulblin's quiver and sling it over his back in order to give himself more arrows. Without any further enemies to fight, he continued making his way towards the castle.

Not too far from the first two pillars, the doors to the castle were within sight. He came across four pillars in a square formation. He kept his bow out and drew out an arrow, stringing it to the bow upon seeing the pillars, surely expecting an ambush. He was not disappointed when two Bulblin archers stood up on top of each pillar and drew out their bows. Link searched for some cover and found it in the form of some debris from the destroyed pillar. As he made his way towards the cover, he snapped a shot off at one of the Bulblin archers. His aim was true and one of the Bulblin archers fell, an arrow protruding from his chest. He then took cover as a sheet of arrows came his way. Some of them bounced off of the rocks in front of him while others simply stuck in the ground behind him. When the first volley of arrow fire stopped, he notched another arrow to his bow, peered out and fired on another Bulblin archer, taking down the Bulblin with terrifying ease. He then ducked back behind the rocks for the Bulblin return volley. He repeated the process six more times until he had felled every last one of the Bulblin archers.

Once he was clear, he made his way towards the front gate of the castle. As he went through, he was met by two Kargaroks, who immediately dove down to attack him. He confidently drew his sword and waited for the two bird-like enemies to be low enough for him to attack. He held out his sword in preparation of a spin attack and waited until they were only a couple of feet away before he spun around, thrusting his sword outward. The blade cleaved the birds completely in half, leaving nothing but death in its wake. Once the Kargaroks were taken care of, Link went to approach the door to the castle.

As he did so, though, more archers appeared from the battlements, standing on top of the rocks so they could rain arrows down upon Link. Link grimaced as he went evasive, trying to make himself as difficult target as possible. Eventually, he found a fallen pillar with an outcropping overhead that he could hide under as he took stock of the situation. He dove for cover, drawing his bow and turning to shoot an arrow up at the attackers. He let fly with the arrow but did not stay to see if he scored a hit. He must have, though, for he heard a loud beastly cry and a thud a few seconds later, indicating that the now dead attacker had fallen from the top of the wall. He ducked under the fallen pillar and readied his bow as he looked up and saw a line of Moblins firing arrows and hurling their spears down at him. The spears stuck in the ground and remained there, quivering. One spear landed dangerously close to Link as he fired a second arrow, taking down a second Moblin. He then notched a third arrow to his bow and let fly, taking down a third Moblin. The others quickly dove behind some bricks for a bit, allowing him to grab the spear that had landed close to him. He pulled it out of the ground and stood back up as the rest of the Moblins returned to their positions and went to take aim at the Hylian teen once more. Link gripped the spear as if it were a javelin and took aim at the largest of the Moblins on the wall. He then hurled the spear at him just as the large Moblin fired an arrow his way. Link dove out of the way of the arrow, which stuck in the ground mere inches away. The Moblin, however, was not fast enough to dodge the spear, despite the distance Link had to hurl it, and it struck him in the chest, going through his chain mail shirt with ease. The Moblin gave a loud cry and fell from the battlement.

Link used this opportunity to fire off a stream of arrows up at the Moblins as he charged towards the door to the castle. His first shot took down another Moblin, which prompted the others to duck back behind the wall for a bit. Link constantly watched the wall as he made his way towards the castle's entrance. Soon, the Moblins peered over the castle wall to try to fire more arrows on him. They were met by more arrows from Link, two Moblins falling to two arrows, with another volley being fired to pin them behind the wall. As he was firing, though, more Kargaroks came down to accost him, one of them accidentally flying into the path of an arrow, causing the bird to come crashing into the ground. Still, Link's steady fire accomplished its objective. It kept the Moblins pinned down behind the wall, as well as inflicting a number of casualties to their forces, and allowed him to get to the castle entrance without being turned into a pincushion in the process. As soon as he approached the door, he drew out his sword and performed another spin attack, almost sensing that some more Kargaroks were about to attack. He bisected the two birds, felling them, and then pulled the door open, diving into the castle just before sheets of arrows rained down close to the castle's entrance.

The interior of the castle's main hall was made of stone and marble. There were golden chandeliers hanging down from the ceiling. The floor was made of tile that had a light and dark gray complexion. Link remembered from his previous trek through the castle that there were two balconies, each of which had a door that led to another room. Unfortunately, without the Clawshot, he did not have access to the balconies. However, he quickly noticed that the main hall had been remodeled, for there was a large door on the ground floor that gave entry to another section of the castle.

As he stepped forward, he noticed the bodies of several Hyrulean Knights lying on the ground, as well as the bodies of several imp-like Bokoblins, both of the blue and purple variety. The Bokoblins appeared to have been armed with clubs with a single spike on the end, for many such weapons were lying around the bodies of the fallen enemies. He also saw a couple dead Moblins, as well as the remains of an armored soldier wearing chain mail. The scattered plate armor pieces to its side indicated that the soldier had been a Darknut. Link drew his bow and readied an arrow as he suspected that the chances of being drawn into an ambush were quite high. He was not disappointed when several Bulblin archers came out onto the various balconies in order to rain arrows down upon him.

He did not give them a chance, though, for he fired off an arrow towards the nearest balcony and took down the lead Bulblin archer. His next shot was just as deadly as he felled a second Bulblin. He then turned to the other balcony and fired off another arrow, felling a third Bulblin. He then fired a fourth arrow, taking down yet another Bulblin archer. Despite the fact that he was having no difficulty felling the Bulblin archers, he still grimaced. He was using up a lot of arrows, and he wanted to save some for the later parts of the castle, knowing that things would only get more difficult as his trek continued. Still, he had to finish off the remaining archers, which he did with little difficulty.

Once the archers were dealt with, he went to make his way over to the door, only to have the door open and a small army of Bulblin soldiers surge on through. Link put away his bow and drew his sword and shield, ready to do battle. The Bulblins charged towards him, at least six of them coming in the opening attack. Holding out his sword, he waited for them to get close before performing a spin attack. The Bulblins did not think to raise their weapons or try to block the attack and they were each cut down by the attack. Several more Bulblins soon charged in, anxious to avenge the loss of the first group.

Link jumped over a stab from the first Bulblin, flipping and lowering his sword onto the Bulblin's head as he performed a Helm Splitter, a special move that he had learned from the Hero's Shade during the Twilight Invasion. A second swipe cut down a second Bulblin as he swiftly dove out of the way of another stab. He rolled on the ground behind the next group and quickly came up, spinning his sword. Three Bulblins fell to the Back Slice, and a fourth fell to a normal sideswipe. That left only two Bulblins to face the hero. The two looked over at each other, fear evident on their faces, as they each drew out a bomb to use against Link. Before they could even light the fuse, though, Link cut down each of them, causing them to drop their bombs.

Once the battle was over, Link examined the scene and looked to see if any of the Bulblins had any arrows that he could use for later parts of the castle. While the Bulblins had no arrows, the last two Bulblins he had felled did have a handful of bombs on hand. Remembering how useful bombs were against undead enemies, Link took as many as his Bomb Bag packet that held his Bombchus could hold, which turned out to only be five or so. He stuffed them into the bag and he went on towards the door, hoping that he would not have to face off against many Stalfos. Once that was finished, he headed over to the door and went on through.

On the other side of the door, he found a hallway that was crawling with Stalfos, skeleton-like warriors that were armed with swords and shields. He grimaced as they turned to face him. Knowing that his sword would not be enough to take them down permanently, he got out a Bombchu and set it on the ground and launched it in the direction of the first wave of Stalfos. The Bombchu made its way towards the Stalfos, the skeletons heedless of the danger posed by the bomb. The lead Stalfos stepped onto the Bombchu and it promptly detonated, practically disintegrating the Stalfos. Two other Stalfos were caught in the blast and blown apart, with several others being knocked to the ground. Wasting no time, Link placed another Bombchu on the ground and sent it into the remnants of the first wave. The bomb approached the Stalfos as they were rising and forming up to continue their charge. The second wave had already come into their ranks and they were caught in the blast of the second Bombchu, two of the Stalfos being reduced to ashes by the explosion, with several more being blown apart. That left only two Stalfos for Link to deal with. He quickly went over to the two remaining Stalfos and slashed at them with his sword. He managed to cut one of the skeletons in half, which promptly collapsed into a pile of bones. The second Stalfos came at him with a slash from its sword that was meant to take off the Hylian hero's head. Link ducked under the slash and performed side slash and cut the Stalfos, collapsing it into a pile of bones. He quickly pushed the two piles of bones together and dropped a bomb on them. He then fled down the corridor as the bomb exploded and destroyed the two Stalfos.

As he made his way further down the corridor, he looked at the walls and the scenery. There were several statues lining the wall of Hyrulean Knights and previous kings, queens, and princesses. He noticed that several of them strikingly resembled Princess, now Queen, Zelda. There were also figures of other people, who Link suspected may have been sages or other important people. He studied the statues carefully, for there was a chance that Ganondorf could have used magic to animate them and turn them into enemies.

As he continued down the corridor, he scanned the outer wall for doors that would lead either to the next floor, or to the castle walls, hoping that they would take him up to the main tower. As he scanned the wall, an arrow whizzed by his head. Turning to his right, he saw a large Moblin emerge from behind a statue of what looked to be a Princess Zelda. The Moblin grunted in disappointment as he grabbed another arrow from his quiver and strung it to his bow. Link, however, would not give him a chance to fire, for he charged the Moblin as he was still drawing the arrow, raising his shield to protect himself should the pig-like soldier get his shot off. He arrived before the Moblin could fire, though, and stabbed the goblin. The sword easily penetrated the chain mail shirt and bit into the Moblin's flesh. The sword pierced the pig-like soldier's heart and the creature went limp as Link withdrew his blade. Wiping the blade on a rag and sheathing his sword, he continued down the corridor.

He continued to scan the outer wall for any doors that would lead to the exterior of the castle and eventually came across one. He eventually found a door and made his way over to it. Before he arrived, though, one of the statues came alive and shed its camouflage and jumped in front of Link, revealing itself to be a Darknut, an armored soldier that wore plate mail armor and was armed with a large sword and shield. The Darknut held its sword high and went to bring it down upon Link, intending to cleave the hero in half. Link dove out of the way and rolled behind the armored soldier and spun as he rose, striking the Darknut several times. With each strike, a piece of armor fell off the soldier. Link then jumped into the air and brought his sword down upon the soldier. It attempted to raise its shield to block the blow, but it was too slow and Link scored a direct hit, knocking off more armor. The Darknut, however, barely felt the blow and he retaliated with a kick, forcing Link to raise his shield. The Darknut's foot struck the shield and while the kick was not strong enough to break Link's arm through the shield, he felt it and was knocked off balance. The Darknut then swung its shield and caught Link in the ribcage. The strike sent Link flying and he hit the ground several feet away, dazed but still able to fight.

The Darknut then charged the Hylian, intent to finish off the hero while he was down. Link quickly recovered and rose, though, using the Darknut's charge against him as he spun around to the Darknut's rear and performed another Back Slice. More armor came off with each hit. He then performed a spin attack and knocked off the chest plate of the Darknut. The Darknut, seeing that its armor was now in tatters, decided to change its tactics. It tossed its shield aside, tore off the remaining plate armor, and tossed its sword Link's way, causing the young hero to dive to the side. He then drew a rapier-like blade and proceeded to charge towards Link, the newer, lighter, form being far faster than before. His new form still had a mask and wore a chain mail shirt.

As the Darknut charged towards Link, though, the Hylian spun around and performed another Back Slice on the Darknut, cutting through parts of his chain mail armor, leaving a few furrows in the Darknut. The Darknut recoiled from the hit and lurched forward, giving Link a chance to stab the soldier in the back. He thrust the blade forward and it pierced the armor, going straight through the chain mail shirt and pierced the area of the soldier where the heart would be on a human. Link then withdrew the blade and kicked the Darknut to the ground. The soldier fell to the ground, giving Link a chance to jump into the air and bring his blade down on the head of the soldier, performing an Ending Blow. Link then withdrew the blade as the Darknut promptly exploded in a small blast of orange light, which remained for a few seconds before dispersing. Once the Darknut had been vanquished, Link went over to the door leading to the exterior of the castle and went on through.

Once he was outside, he found himself on the first level of the castle walls. This current level seemed to be all but abandoned, save for a few Moblins. He drew his bow and arrow and fired on the closest of the remaining Moblins, taking it down before the others were even aware of his presence. He was able to kill a second before the others turned and began their charge towards him, holding out their spears in front of them. He then shot down a third, shooting him right in the center of the head, stopping the pig-like soldier's charge in its tracks. The fourth soldier was able to reach him before he could shoot him down, though, and Link was forced to dive out of the way. However, once he was out of the path of the onrushing pig-like soldier, he stuck his foot out, causing the Moblin to trip over it. The Moblin stumbled forward and fell down the stairs, roaring as he fell, eventually falling over the wall at the bottom of the stairs. Link then continued his path along the wall, hoping to find a way to the next floor.

His path to the next floor was quickly surmised as he saw a narrow walkway to a small tower to his right. He approached the walkway only to be met by two Bokoblins. He drew his sword and charged towards them. Once he reached them, he managed to defeat them both, one by stabbing in the heart, and another merely by swinging his sword at him. The Bokoblin blocked the blade but was knocked off balance and sent staggering backwards, and off the walkway. The Bokoblin gave a cry as it fell to the ground, and to its death. Link then continued until he reached the tower.

When he reached the tower, he quickly spotted a staircase that took him up to the top floor of the tower. He ascended the staircase, which was lined by some torches. The only enemies that he had to face were a couple of bat-like Keese. He dealt with any Keese that got too close with single swipes of his sword and made his way up the tower. He quickly reached the top and went over to the walkway that would lead him back to the main tower. This walkway was inhabited by an aerial lizard-like enemy called Aeralfos. The Aeralfos was a saurian enemy that looked like a lizard with wings. It wore little armor, with only a loincloth, but was armed with a sword and shield. Link grimaced at the appearance of the flying lizard, for he remembered that the Clawshot had been what allowed him to beat such an enemy last time. Without said item, this battle should have been quite difficult. However, this Aeralfos must have either been incredibly brave, arrogant, or stupid, for it simply charged straight towards Link, not bothering to raise its shield. Link took advantage of its stupidity and drew out his bow. He notched an arrow to the string and pulled back. He then let fly with the arrow and it soared into the air, striking the Aeralfos squarely in the chest. The saurian enemy immediately listed to the left and fell out of the sky. It crashed into the walkway close to the edge, its forward momentum carrying it over the walkway's edge and down to the ground several stories below. With the Aeralfos having been dealt with, Link continued on his way.

He crossed the walkway quickly and made his way back to the main tower. There were no enemies to contend with in this section of the tower, for which he was grateful. He took this moment to check his inventory. He found that he still had a one quiver with twenty arrows left along with seven Bombchus and four normal bombs. He could only hope that his current loadout would be enough for him to deal with whatever else was in the castle. He then put his items and tools away, drew his sword and shield, and entered the main tower.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

The interior of the main tower consisted of a floor made of tiles. Remembering from his last journey, he knew that there was a chance that there were illusory traps. While the room did not have the same eeriness that it had during his last trip through, he was still careful as crossed the floor, being sure to place his foot down in front of him and feel to see if the footing was safe so that he would not fall. Whenever he came across a fake panel, the panel would give way. Had he had his full weight on the panel, he would have surely plummeted to his death. To avoid that terrible fate, he slowly and carefully made his way across the floor. Each panel he stepped on, he pushed down with one foot, while carefully making sure to keep his footing on another panel. Step by step, he slowly made his way across the floor, being extra careful to not get ahead of himself as he got closer and closer to the end of the path. The last thing he wanted to do was to come to the end of the path only to make a wrong move and find himself falling to the bottom of the castle. Eventually, he came to the end of the path.

When he had finally come to the end, he arrived at a stairwell. This time, the stairwell was intact, remembering how he had been forced to navigate the treacherous stairs on his last adventure. At the top of the stairwell were two Bulblin archers. Not wanting to waste any arrows against them, he raised his shield as he charged up the stairs. The Bulblins, not being very quick on the uptake, simply continued to unload arrows towards Link, each projectile bouncing off the hero's Hylian Shield as he surged towards them. Link reached them and before they could switch from their bows to swords, Link felled the archers with a single swipe of his sword. After felling the Bulblin archers, he stooped down and picked up their quivers, adding their arrows to his own.

Once he reached the top of the staircase, he turned and found a second staircase to his right. This one had two Lizalfos standing at the top of it. Having more than enough arrows to deal with the Lizalfos, Link stood at the bottom of the stairs and fired arrows up at the lizard-like enemies. Two shots were all it took to fell the Lizalfos, who, much to Link's surprise, had only been armed with swords. Once they were dealt with, he headed on up the stairs and, upon reaching the top, came across another stairwell. This one was also guarded by two Lizalfos, but they were better equipped, having both swords and shields.

Knowing that they would be able to block his arrows, Link slung his bow over his shoulders and took out a single Bombchu. He then placed the Bombchu on the ground and let it loose against the Lizalfos. The Lizalfos, seeing the bomb coming towards them, turned tail and ran in the opposite direction, allowing Link to chase after them. He drew out his bow and strung an arrow to it. He pulled back on the string and let fly with the arrow. It managed to tag one of the Lizalfos in the back, felling the creature. His companion turned to check on his comrade, only to have the Bombchu collide with him and explode, destroying both Lizalfos.

Link reached the top of the stairs and found himself in a hallway with a large door to his left. The door had a large chain over it with a lock that looked like the head of a beast. As soon as he went for the door, a Darknut appeared in front of him, drawing its sword and shield and assuming a fighter's stance, preparing for battle. Link backed away took out a Bombchu, placing it on the ground. This was quickly followed by him placing a second Bombchu on the ground and releasing it in the direction of the Darknut. The two bombs raced towards the armored soldier, who made no effort to evade the Bombchus. The soldier raised its shield and the bombs struck the shield and exploded. The force of the explosions sent the Darknut reeling, with several pieces of armor falling off. Link quickly followed up by tossing a normal bomb towards the Darknut, striking the Darknut's head and blowing off several large pieces of armor. This was followed by Link charging in towards the soldier and performing a jump attack, bringing his sword down upon the breastplate of the soldier. The sword left a large furrow in the breastplate as Link swung around to the rear and slashed at the connections to the armor, severing them and causing the damaged breastplate to fall off and clatter on the ground.

Once the breastplate fell off, the Darknut turned and hurled its sword towards Link, who dove out of the way, allowing the blade to sail past him and stick in the ground a ways away. The Darknut then hurled its shield Link's way, causing Link to run to his left in order to avoid it. The Darknut, now dressed only in chain mail armor, drew its rapier and went to charge Link, stabbing towards the hero. Link raised his shield and shield bashed the blade away, staggering the Darknut. Link then performed a jump attack and brought the blade down on the Darknut's helmet, opening a large gash in the soldier's helmet and head. A side kick sent the Darknut reeling backwards a few steps before a horizontal slash sliced through the chain mail shirt and knocked the soldier to the ground. Link then finished off the soldier by jumping up and performing an Ending Blow on the Darknut, thrusting his sword through the Darknut's head. He then withdrew the blade and back flipped away as the soldier exploded in a blast of orange light.

Once the light faded, a large golden key was revealed where the Darknut once stood. Link then went over and grabbed the key. Before opening the door to the final part of the tower, though, he went over to the Darknut's discarded sword and pulled it out of the ground. He examined it and saw that it was not only sharp and heavy, but also powerful. He swung the blade a few times and found that he was able to wield it with far greater ease than someone his size should have been able to. He then sheathed his Ordon Sword and gripped his Darknut Sword, feeling that it would be quite useful in the upcoming battles. He then went over to the door and got out the Boss Key. He put the key into the keyhole and turned it. The lock broke and fell off the door, clanking on the ground. The chains immediately retracted and the door rose, granting Link access to the exterior of the main tower, and the stairs to the throne room. He then stepped through the entrance and went to the exterior of the tower.

Upon stepping outside, he was met by two Moblins leading a horde of Bokoblins, the purple and blue variants, all armed with clubs, with the Moblins being armed with spears. Link drew his Darknut Sword and held it in front of him, wielding it with two hands. He focused his gaze at the enemies as he went to charge them. The Bokoblins and Moblins responded in kind and charged towards him. As they neared him, he swung his sword and cleaved a number of Bokoblins in half, while knocking aside those who had raised their clubs to block the strike. The first swing knocked some against the wall, the impacts either knocking them unconscious or killing them. The second swing then bisected more Bokoblins, and knocking more of them aside. These, however, were knocked off the tower and went sent hurtling down towards the ground below, screaming. Still, despite the casualties that were being inflicted, the tide still kept coming.

Link then stood stock still as the Bokoblins and the two Moblins leading the attackers surrounded him. He could only smile confidently as he held out his sword. He then spun around and performed a spin attack on the attacking horde. The blade cut straight through more than eight Bokoblins and knocked back several more, some of them falling over the edge of the wall. The two Moblins leading the attack also were knocked back, with one of them being sent stumbling over the wall, with the other simply staggering backwards and falling to the ground onto a Bokoblin, crushing the unfortunate Bokoblin. Link then rushed the Moblin and brought the sword down on the soldier, cleaving him in two. With the Moblins and the Bokoblins having been dealt with, he proceeded to make his way up the remaining stairs and to the throne room.

Once he reached the top of the stairs, he saw a red carpet lining the floor, leading to the throne room, itself. The bodies of two Hyrulean Knights lay on the ground before the doors, which were closed. He saw no signs of any other enemies and took a quick check back to make sure that any Bokoblins that might have survived their disastrous charge against him were not pursuing him. Once he was certain that he was clear, he went up to the doors and pushed them open. Once they were open, he went on in.

The interior of the throne room was in far better condition than it had been when Link had last come to the castle. The throne looked like it was in pristine condition, the statues behind and above the throne were intact, and the columns were also in perfect condition. The only thing that let anyone know that things were wrong were the two guards lying on the floor near the throne, the rising and falling of there chests indicating that they were still alive, merely unconscious, and the purple crystal in front of the throne. Glancing around the room, Link realized that there was no sign of Zelda. His eyes then focused back on the pink crystal and upon closer inspection, he could see the figure of Zelda encased inside of it, a look of shock and fear on her face. He rushed over to the crystal and went to see if there was anything he could do to free her. Taking out the Darknut Sword, he held it but did not dare make any move to slash at the crystal, fearing that it could end up hurting Zelda.

As he stared at her, his attention was soon drawn to the back of his hand, where his Triforce mark was glowing, with the lower right triangle being completely filled in, indicating that the Triforce of Courage was sensing something. He then looked back at the captured Zelda and found her own Triforce mark glowing. He had never seen that happen before. For a moment, he wondered if the two Triforce pieces were communicating with each other. As they glowed, he felt a refreshing sensation come over him. Any and all weariness left him and he felt ready to fight should it come down to a battle. "So you finally made it, Link," the Hylian hero heard an all too familiar voice state from behind.

His eyes went wide with shock as he turned and found none other than Ganondorf standing behind him, holding up his right hand, showing that his Triforce mark, representing the Triforce of Power, was glowing. "For a second, I was worried that you might not have been able to make it. But here you are. Now I can finally obtain all of the Triforce pieces and fulfill my greatest desire."

"But how?" Link gasped. "How are you still alive? I stabbed you with the Master Sword. You were dead!"

"Indeed I was," Ganondorf replied, laughing. "When you stabbed me with the Master Sword, you pierced my heart and the power of the Master Sword was able to suppress the power of the Triforce of Power. However, you pulled the blade out of me before my body underwent a great enough amount of decay for me to be unsalvageable. Indeed, when you pulled out the Master Sword to return it to the pedestal, the Triforce of Power reactivated and my wounds were healed. I will say that if you had stabbed me in the brain, or beheaded me, I would have died and been unable to be revived, for a while at least. The thing is, though, that I will never truly die. One way or another, I would return. It might be through a descendant, or through another being entirely, but there will never be any relief for any of us. We are all linked together, a Link, a Zelda, and me. As long as one remains, so too shall the other two appear."

Link did not care what Ganondorf was talking about. "Let Zelda go. It's me you want."

"Actually, it's both of you," Ganondorf retorted. "You see, I need you both because I need the Triforce. The two of you have it. And now, you're both going to give your pieces to me. Once that is finished, I will let the two of you go free. Should you leave me in peace then it will be over. I will not pursue you, I will not hunt you down, and I will leave your friends and families alone. And I will tell all of my minions to do the same. You, your friends, and families will be untouchable. If not, then I _will_ hunt you down and kill you, and all of your friends, families, and descendants should you have any."

Link grimaced as he held his Darknut Sword before him. The Gerudo King merely gave a shrug. "I suspected as much."

He then began the battle by rising into the air and raising his right hand and firing a golden blast of energy at Link. Remembering his previous fight with the Gerudo King, he waited for the golden ball of energy to cross the distance between Ganondorf and him before he swung his Darknut Sword and volleyed the ball back towards Ganondorf. Ganondorf looked surprised as he saw the golden ball of energy rocketing back towards him and he attempted to swing his cape in an attempt to bat the ball back to Link. He was too slow to respond, though, and the ball scored a direct hit on him. The ball hit him squarely in the chest and dispersed, not appearing to inflict any damage to the Gerudo King. He gave a slight humph. "I should have guessed. Your sword is shiny and, thus, it can reflect energy based attacks. I won't make that mistake in the future."

Link merely grimaced as he took out his bow and notched an arrow to it. He pulled back on the string and let fly with the arrow. He suspected that the arrow would not do anything to the Gerudo King, and he was not surprised when the arrow bounced off of Ganondorf's chest. "Is that all you've got?" the Ganondorf asked haughtily. "You don't even have the Master Sword with which to fight me this time? This'll be easy!"

Link gritted his teeth and held out his Darknut Sword as Ganondorf drew the Sword of the Sages, a long glowing white blade that looked to be made of light. It had an ornamented hilt but little to no guard. The Gerudo King grinned as he charged towards Link, holding his sword high. Link then held his own sword high as he charged towards the Gerudo King. The two continued their charge until they were only feet away from each other. Once they were close enough to strike, they both swung their swords. A loud clang rang out as the two blades clashed, sparks and even waves of energy flying at the point of impact between the two swords. The two warriors struggled against one another, pushing against each other with all of their strength. Despite Ganondorf's significant size advantage over Link, the two warriors were even with each other. Gradually, Link was beginning to gain ground on the Gerudo King as he was being pushed back. Seeing that he was winning, Link gave a mighty shove and pushed Ganondorf off balance. Link then swung his sword at Ganondorf, slashing and using spin attacks on the Gerudo King while he was off balance. Ganondorf sustained attack after attack as Link swung and slashed away at his armor and his head. Still, despite the power of the Darknut Sword, the Gerudo King was not sustaining any damage. Link then went in and performed a jump attack, bringing the sword down squarely on Ganondorf's head. A loud clang rang out throughout the throne room as Link's sword struck Ganondorf in the head. Ganondorf stood still for a few seconds, his eyes closed, before he opened them again and looked down at Link. "Is that all you've got?"

Link's eyes went wide with shock as he pulled the sword away from Ganondorf, bringing it across his head, only to see that there was not a mark on the Gerudo King. He backed away slowly, holding his sword up in preparation to block whatever attack Ganondorf was planning. The Gerudo King merely smiled and casually raised his hand. The Darknut Sword instantly crumbled to dust, which collapsed in Link's hand and fell to the floor. "That sword didn't suit you at all," Ganondorf commented.

Link merely grimaced as he drew his Ordon Sword and Hylian Shield. He knew that they would likely not have much effect on the Gerudo King, but he was not ready to give up just yet. Ganondorf simply walked forward, holding out his Sword of the Sages. He then charged Link, thrusting his sword forward in an attempt to skewer the hero. Link managed to duck away from the thrust and took out a Bombchu. He placed it on the ground and let it walk towards Ganondorf. The Gerudo King charged towards Link, heedless of the bomb. He stepped on the bomb during the charge, which promptly exploded, but he came through the cloud of dust and debris without a mark, the explosion not even managing to slow him down. Ganondorf then swung his sword in an attempt to behead the Hylian hero. Link ducked under the swing and brought his sword across Ganondorf's abdomen. The Gerudo King was unfazed by the attack and no mark was left on his armor. Link then dove forward to duck under the counterblow. He came up and quickly turned to face Ganondorf.

The Gerudo King turned to face Link and held his sword out in front of him. A yellow ball of energy with electrical sparks surrounding it formed in front of the blade and after a second of charging, he launched it at Link. Knowing that his Ordon Sword would not be able to reflect the blast of energy back at the Gerudo King, Link jumped to his right and allowed the blast of energy to strike the floor and disperse harmlessly. As he jumped to the side he was able to see the crystal that was imprisoning Zelda past Ganondorf. His eyes were drawn to the crystal as he thought he could see Zelda's expression in the crystal change. He also saw that there was a crack forming in the crystal, too. Hope entered his heart as he realized that Zelda was trying to break free of the crystal. He turned and faced Ganondorf, who seemed to have a puzzled expression on his face. Link then steeled his gaze on the Gerudo King. Whatever happened, he could not let Ganondorf know that Zelda was attempting to break free of the crystal. He would have to draw Ganondorf's undivided attention. He also knew that such a task was easier said than done without the Master Sword or any other weapon that could repel magic or destroy evil.

To do so, Link held his sword high and gave a battle cry as he charged Ganondorf. "Now _that's_ the Link I was hoping to fight; always charging in headfirst, heedless of the danger."

The Gerudo King gave a dark grin at the Hylian as he raised his Sword of the Sages and a yellow ball of energy formed around it. He fired the ball of energy at Link, who promptly dove to his left, causing the ball to miss. Ganondorf then smiled and he raised his sword once more. A golden triangle of light soon appeared on the ground beneath Link. Remembering his last battle against the Gerudo King, he ran as fast as he could outside of the triangle as the glow was becoming brighter. He dove out of the ring just as the light became so bright that it would have blinded him. A shaft of light then rose a few feet into the air. Anything that would have been caught in that light that did not have any of the power of the old gods would have been annihilated. Fortunately, for the Hylian hero, he was outside of its area of influence.

The Gerudo King then charged directly at the hero and swung his sword. Link raised his Hylian Shield and waited for the blow to land. Just as it was about to land, he thrust his shield forward and bashed the attack back. He then dove to his left and rolled as he made his way around towards Ganondorf's back far more quickly than any normal soldier should have been able to do. He then rose and spun, swinging his sword. He knew that the attacks would inflict no damage, but it would keep the Gerudo King's attention focused on him. He then dove to the left again as Ganondorf thrust his sword forward, easily evading the stab. He rolled on the ground again as Ganondorf tried to follow his movements, but was unable to do so and he rose and swung his sword again, inflicting no damage to the Gerudo King, but the power of his strike was great enough that it shoved Ganondorf forward a bit. He staggered a few steps before recovering and turned to face the Hylian hero, his rage evident on his face. Link held out his left hand and motioned for the Gerudo King to come at him, a seemingly arrogant grin twisting his lips.

Ganondorf gritted his teeth and growled. Even without the Master Sword, Link was a tougher opponent than he had anticipated. He had yet to land a telling blow on the boy. Link also appeared to be unusually strong for a Hylian and despite the fact that he had no magic he was still able to fight evenly with him. He was also faster and more agile than most other Hylians he had faced, too. Despite his youth, Link was every bit as strong as the Gerudo King, possibly even stronger. And given what he was demonstrating, he was more skilled with the sword.

Ganondorf took a few steps back, carefully considering his options. The Triforce of Power gave him infinite stamina so he was not worried about getting worn down. However, he was quickly beginning to lose his patience, which _could_ be costly, especially if there were secrets to the Triforce of Courage that could allow Link to find a way to harm him, or if the Sages or Light Spirits decided that now was a good time to show up and assist the hero. There was also the issue that Link's own stamina was not being drained from the fighting, either. He was as strong now as he had been at the beginning of the battle. There was no way the hero would tire out. He decided that he could not afford to be cautious. He had to deal with Link as quickly as possible. Link had no weapons that could hurt him so his best bet would simply be to fight Link and hope that the Hylian hero slipped up and he could get a good hit in on him.

To that end, Ganondorf charged directly at the Hylian hero, holding his sword in front of him. As soon as he was within range, he brought the sword down on Link, hoping to cleave the hero in half. Link raised his shield and thrust it forward, bouncing the attack away, but Ganondorf was ready for the strike and was not staggered by it this time. Link tried rolling behind him again, but he had anticipated the plan and was able to keep his eyes on the hero. Link continued to roll in order to get behind him, but Ganondorf kept up with the hero. He soon fired a magical bolt of energy from his hand, targeting the hero. He mentally calculated the speed of Link's roll and evasive pattern and led his shot as he fired at the hero, hoping to score a direct hit on him. His aim turned out to be true and the ball struck Link squarely in the chest. Any normal person would have been killed by the attack, but Link's Triforce of Courage, as well as the chain mail shirt he wore underneath his tunic, kept the attack from being fatal or even inflicting significant damage to him. All it did was knock him off his feet and send him flying back a few feet. He landed on his back but rolled a bit and soon rose and faced the Gerudo King once more.

Ganondorf charged once more, gripping his Sword of the Sages with both hands. Link merely stood stock still, assuming a fighter's stance, waiting for Ganondorf's charge. Once Ganondorf was close and about to bring his sword down on his head, he flipped over Ganondorf, bringing his own sword down on the Gerudo King's head instead. However, the sword slice did no damage and the Gerudo King had anticipated this form of attack. He quickly let go of his blade with his left hand and thrust it upwards. Link tried to knock away Ganondorf's fist, but the Gerudo King's strike was too fast and he punched the Hylian hero squarely in the chest. Link let out a grunt as he was forced into the air, barely managing to hold onto his sword. As he fell, Ganondorf kicked him in the chest, sending him flying away from him. He landed on his back several feet away, rolling on the ground for several more feet until he eventually came to a stop, struggling to rise. However, out of the corner of his eye, he carefully watched the status of the crystal to see just how long he would have to keep the Gerudo King distracted. Ganondorf approached the fallen Hylian hero, laughing.

"You're not doing so well this time around," Ganondorf mocked haughtily. "Perhaps it _is_ the weapon that makes heroes like you after all. Without the Master Sword, you really are nothing."

Link did not take the bait, though, and began crawling backwards, away from the approaching Gerudo King. "Trying to scamper away? Don't bother," the Gerudo King mocked as he disappeared from where he was strolling, and directly reappeared behind Link.

The Hylian hero was quick to turn and raise his shield as Ganondorf stabbed downward with his sword. The sword struck the shield and a loud clash rang out. Link then rolled beneath Ganondorf's legs and thrust his blade up into the Gerudo King's groin, hoping that even if the sword would not penetrate his flesh, that the impact would at least be felt by the Gerudo. Unfortunately, the Gerudo King seemed to feel nothing and he turned around as Link finished his roll to face him. However, inwardly Link was grinning. Ganondorf was no longer facing the crystal so there was no chance of him seeing the cracks forming in its structure. Looking past the Gerudo King for an instant, he noticed that there were many more cracks than before. In fact, the crystal looked like it was on the verge of shattering.

Not wanting Ganondorf to turn around, Link held his sword out in front of him and motioned for the Gerudo King to come to him, saying, "Come on," in as haughty a voice as he could muster.

Ganondorf did not disappoint as he charged directly towards Link, preparing to cut the hero in half. As he swiped his sword at the hero, Link performed a back flip and jumped over the blade. He landed on two feet and responded by holding his sword high in the air as he jumped at the Gerudo King. He brought his sword down on the villain's head, inflicting no damage, just as all of his other strikes had. This merely prompted Ganondorf to laugh again as he knocked the hero away with a casual slap. "Are you really this stupid? Nothing you do will work on me. And I'm certain now that there is no secret Triforce of Courage power that you can use to harm me, and that the Sages aren't going to come and save you. You're on your own and in a hopeless battle. Now, surrender the Triforce of Courage to me or die. You choose."

Link merely grimaced as he turned to make sure that Ganondorf would have his back to the crystal. He could now see the cracks forming on the crystal. It was about to shatter. He had to find a way to keep the Gerudo King distracted until Zelda broke free, which he hoped would be very soon.

To make sure that Ganondorf focused his attention on him, Link pulled out his remaining bombs. Lighting them, he then tossed them at Ganondorf, one after the other, hoping that the explosions would at least force him back a step, but suspecting that they would not. Still, he had another goal with the bombs. He was hoping that the bombs would be sufficiently loud to distract Ganondorf when Zelda broke free of the crystal so that he would not be aware of her freedom until it was too late. Much as he expected, though, Ganondorf emerged from the blasts unfazed and it also appeared as if he had not even slowed down. Seeing little choice, and that the crystal was beginning to break, Link pulled out two of his remaining Bombchus and placed them on the ground, one after the other. Ganondorf merely laughed. "Seriously?" he asked mockingly.

He strode arrogantly towards Link as the mechanical mouse-like bombs struck him and exploded, engulfing him in an explosion of smoke and fire. However, he came through the clouds unscathed and laughing. "Now it ends!" he declared proudly. What he did not know, though, was that while Link had been assaulting him with the Bombchus, the crystal containing Zelda finally shattered, freeing the Hyrulean Queen. The shards of the crystal shot out in all directions, falling to the floor, where they erupted in an unnatural pink flame. The flames consumed the pieces of crystal until no trace of them remained in this world. The moment she had freed herself, she prayed to the three Golden Goddesses and to the Light Spirits for her to be gifted with Light Arrows, for she knew that without the arrows, she and Link would not stand a chance against the Gerudo King.

Looking past the Gerudo King, Link noticed that Zelda was finally free of the crystal and was praying for assistance. He would not have to keep up the charade of childish stupidity and desperation for much longer. He soon focused on the Gerudo King and saw the king charge him, the Sword of the Sages held high. As Ganondorf went to cut Link in half, the Hylian hero flipped over the slice and raised his shield as Ganondorf went to stab him. A clang rang out as the sword made contact with the shield. Ganondorf was unconcerned about Link's ability to block his attack. "You know you won't last," he taunted. "You'll make a mistake before this fight is over. And I'll take advantage of it. You have nothing that can harm me. Whereas, all I have to do is score one good hit on you in a vital area with this sword and it's all over. You can't win."

As soon as he uttered those fateful words, Zelda was gifted with the Light Arrows by the Light Spirits. Not appearing directly, for fear of revealing her to the Gerudo King, the Light Spirits simply had the bow used to shoot them appear in her hands, along with a quiver of arrows appear on her back. She soon drew an arrow from the quiver and raised the bow and took aim at Ganondorf as he was taunting Link. Link saw her pull back on the string and charge the Light Arrow. He grinned, knowing that the fight was about to take a drastic turn. Ganondorf looked puzzled at the Hylian hero as he grinned, not knowing why the desperate hero was suddenly grinning. His questions were soon answered as Zelda let fly with the arrow.

The Light Arrow rocketed from her bow and struck Ganondorf squarely in the back. As soon as the arrow struck, there was a massive explosion of light which would have blinded anyone who was evil. Despite the light being pure, Link reflexively covered his eyes before realizing that the light would not harm him at all. Ganondorf gave a cry of pain and surprise as he was hit and lurched forward. Link saw that this was his chance and he rushed the Gerudo King, stabbing him in the chest. His sword bit into the armor and managed to go through far enough to pierce his flesh. The blade did not go in far, though, and the wound would have been far from fatal, even if it was inflicted by a magical sword and possibly even the Master Sword, itself. That did little to ease the Gerudo King, who was shocked that he was suffering any injury at all from the attack. Link pulled out the sword and saw that about half an inch of the blade was stained red with the Gerudo King's blood. "How? No one here can…" He stopped speaking as he turned and saw Zelda standing where the crystal had once been, her Triforce of Wisdom mark glowing on her hand. Link soon noticed his own Triforce mark glowing, along with a refreshing sensation coming over him.

"But how?" Ganondorf gasped, shocked at what he was seeing. "You were trapped in the crystal. There was no way you could break free."

"You arrogantly overestimate your own ability, and underestimate the powers of those you fight," Zelda retorted harshly. "Yes, the Triforce of Power is the strongest of the Triforce pieces in terms of brute strength. But how many times is a battle won with raw power alone?"

Ganondorf seethed. He feigned as if he had not understood, hoping that Zelda would explain her meaning so he could gain some insight as to the abilities of the Triforce of Wisdom. The residual glow from the Light Arrow's explosion soon died and he felt himself return to normal. Using the power of his piece of the Triforce, he healed the small cut that he had suffered and motioned for Zelda to continue. Zelda did not disappoint. "I simply used my power to attack the crystal and wear it down," she explained. Ganondorf grimaced. He had been hoping for more of an explanation. The way Zelda spoke, it was not even certain that she had used the power of the Triforce of Wisdom in order to break free. He suspected that she had, but he had not way to be absolutely certain. He then waited, hoping that Zelda would speak. As he waited, he quickly looked back at Link in order to make sure that his most hated enemy was not preparing another attack. While he was reasonably confident that Link could not hurt him now that the light's glow was gone, he did not want to take any chances. When he was certain that Zelda would not explain how she had escaped the crystal more thoroughly, he went on the offensive.

He began his attack by floating into the air as Zelda prepared to launch another Light Arrow his way. He held his sword high and a ball of yellow energy with electrical sparks forming a shell around it formed at the end of his sword. Once the ball was fully formed, he swung his sword down at Zelda and fired the magical ball of energy her way. Zelda instantly formed a blue crystal of energy around her whose field spun around. The ball of energy struck the shield and it dissipated harmlessly. Ganondorf grimaced. "So you know the spells of the goddesses. I take it you can also use all variations of their spells as well."

Zelda grinned as she launched a ball of fire Ganondorf's way. He smiled as the Triforce of Power mark in his hand began to glow. When the ball of fire was only a few inches away from the Gerudo King, it disappeared for a split second before exploding, seeming from inside Ganondorf. Despite the massive explosion of fire, the fire was almost instantly extinguished and the Gerudo King emerged from the blast unharmed. Now it was his turn to attack.

His eyes glowed for a second and suddenly, Zelda stood stock still, unable to move. Her figure seemed to tremble a bit, as if she were trying to move but was unable to do so. A yellow triangle of light suddenly appeared beneath her, with her standing dead in the middle of it. Knowing what was to come next, Link charged the Gerudo King and slashed at him with his sword. Ganondorf ignored Link's attack as the glow of the triangle grew brighter. An instant before the shaft of light erupted from the triangle and would have either killed or severely injured Zelda, she vanished from the triangle and reappeared behind Ganondorf. The shaft of light obscured Zelda's escape and when she reappeared behind him, she was able to move once more.

She drew another Light Arrow and strung it to her magical bow. She pulled back on the string and then let fly with another Light Arrow. This one struck true and another explosion of light erupted around Ganondorf, washing over him. Golden sparks of magical lightning crackled around him as his defenses were lowered. Zelda then summoned a sword to her hand and she rushed towards him, Link doing the same. The two Hylians then slashed and stabbed at the Gerudo King, hoping to inflict fatal damage to him.

Link swung at Ganondorf's throat, aiming to behead him while Zelda struck at his heart. Her sword easily pierced his armor and bit into his flesh, going through his chest and out the back, piercing his heart. Meanwhile, Link swung at Ganondorf's neck, aiming to take off his head. His blade bit into the Gerudo King's flesh and began to cut through the bone. However, just as it was half way through the bone, the sword stopped. For a moment, Link thought that the blade had just gotten stuck. However, when he tried to pull it out so he could complete the cut, he noticed that Ganondorf's chest wound was closing. The Gerudo King canted his head and grinned. "Even with the Light Arrows lowering my magical defenses, normal weapons just aren't enough to kill me. Had that been the Master Sword or even just the Four Sword, I'd be dead. But since it's just a normal unaugmented blade, I'm still alive, despite the fact that you cut through half of my neck." He then kicked Link away and grabbed his Ordon Sword. With a tremendous yank, he pulled the blade out of his neck. A sucking sound was heard as the wound closed. After a second, the wound closed in its entirety, with no sign that he had even had a sword through the heart, or that he was inches from having been beheaded. "If it makes you feel any better, I would not have died even if you had actually managed to behead me."

Ganondorf then held the Ordon Sword high as he focused in on Link. He then threw the sword at the Hylian hero, forcing Link to dive to the side. The sword hit the ground several meters away from Link as he rose to face Ganondorf once more. Both Link and Zelda stared at the Gerudo King, who was grinning from ear to ear. He knew he had them and that there was nothing they could do to stop him. Link did not have the Master Sword and the Light Arrows could only lower his defenses and allow Link's attacks to hurt him, but not kill him. All he had to do was to wait for them to make a mistake, which they almost certainly would since they had no real way to hurt him. It would only be a matter of time before he killed them and gained the other two pieces of the Triforce.

He watched Link run over to his Ordon Sword and pick it up. Link then held it up, contemplating a charge towards the Gerudo King as Zelda looked to ready another Light Arrow. Their defiance in the face of an unwinnable battle amused Ganondorf. "Give up," he gloated. "There's no way for you to beat me. The Light Arrows of those cursed Light Spirits aren't up to the task. I have the power of the Old Gods inside of me. There's nothing that mere Light Spirits or other magic can do to affect me."

"We're not giving up!" both Zelda and Link declared. Zelda then surreptitiously glanced at Link. Her subtle glance was all he needed in order to know that she had a plan.

"You're both fools," the Gerudo King laughed. "I thought that someone with the Triforce of Wisdom would be wiser."

"What do you want?" Zelda asked harshly.

"You already know. I want your pieces of the Triforce. Give them to me now, and I'll not only let you live, I'll let you leave this castle and town alive and unmolested in any way. If you do it quickly, I might even guarantee the safety and survival of the people of Hyrule Castle Town." He then waited for Zelda and Link to think over his offer. They glanced at one another and then back at him skeptically. "Don't be fools," Ganondorf insisted. "Give me what I want and you and your kingdom will be spared, as will your little province outside of Hyrule proper," the Gerudo King added, eying Link.

Link glanced back at Ganondorf, surprised that he knew where Link came from. The Gerudo King merely laughed. "Don't be so surprised. I've had a good long time to study up on you since my last defeat. I've been waiting for this moment for quite a long time."

"It's unfortunate that you will have to wait longer," Zelda answered. "I refuse your offer." Link also nodded in agreement with Zelda.

"Alas, I tried," Ganondorf shrugged. "At least this way, it'll be more fun," he quipped as he made ready to charge the two Hylians.

Link and Zelda had other ideas, though, as the Hyrulean Queen promptly strung another Light Arrow to her bow and focused on Ganondorf. Just as she strung the arrow, a golden triangle of light appeared beneath both her and Link. Unlike before, though, they made no move to exit the triangle before the shaft of light would rise up and damage them. Before a shaft of light could erupt from it, though, she fired the Light Arrow, which scored a direct hit on the Gerudo King. Another explosion of light washed over Ganondorf and he gave a cry of pain as golden lightning crackled around his body. Link promptly placed all of his remaining Bombchus on the ground and let them roll towards the Gerudo King. They zigzagged their way towards the frozen Gerudo King as he watched them approach. After a few seconds, they each struck the Gerudo King, engulfing him in numerous explosions. While the explosions did not inflict any damage to the Gerudo King, the blast cloud obscured his vision of the throne room, which is just what Link was hoping for.

As the blast clouds and the noise obscured Ganondorf's vision and clouded his hearing, Zelda went over to Link and cried, "Grab hold!"

Link hugged her tightly as Ganondorf used his power to emit a shaft of light from the still glowing triangle on the ground. However, Zelda used Farore's Wind to teleport both her and Link out of the triangle, and the castle, as the shaft of light erupted from the triangle, obscuring their escape. The shaft of light faded and once it had vanished, there was no trace of Zelda or Link to be found. Ganondorf's eyes went wide for a second as he saw that his quarry had disappeared.

As he went over to investigate, two Moblins and a squadron of Bokoblins entered the throne room. The Moblins, seeing that Ganondorf appeared to be distressed, went over to him and asked, "Is everything alright my lord?"

"Zelda and Link are escaping!" the Gerudo King roared. "Find them! Zelda likely used Farore's Wind in order to escape so they cannot have gotten far. Search the grounds of the castle and the Castle Town if necessary. Once they are found, don't engage them. Send some Kargaroks to track where they're going, as well as a few to relay any messages back to us, and report back to me. Understood?"

"Understood, Master," the Moblins replied. Turning to the Bokoblins, the Moblins roared, "You heard Lord Ganondorf. Track them!"

With that, the Bokoblins fled the throne room, with the Moblins following them not too far behind.

Once they were gone, Ganondorf gave a smile and relaxed for a bit. A burst of fire and ice soon appeared, heralding the arrival of Koume and Kotake, the two sorceress sisters, Koume being the Sorceress of Fire, with Kotake being the Sorceress of Ice, that could fuse into the being known as the Twinrova. They were old and they both had green skin, gray hair, and were wearing black witches' cloths with white symbols on them, as well as having hair that consisted of the element that they controlled. Both of them were surrogate mothers to Ganondorf and their arrival did not surprise him. When they arrived, Ganondorf looked over at them and said, "Well that went better than expected."

"What do you mean?" Koume asked. "Link and Zelda got away. They're almost certainly going to go for the Master Sword!"

"Of course. That's what I'm counting on."

"But the Master Sword is the one weapon that can actually kill you," Kotake contested.

"I know," Ganondorf stated plainly. "But it is also necessary in order to break the link between us."

"You don't actually believe that legend, do you?" Kotake asked.

"It's not a legend Kotake," Ganondorf answered. "It's true, to a point. One thing I am not, though, is the reincarnation of a demon that was surpassed by its own weapon."

"But why let Link escape in the first place?" Koume asked.

"Because Link is the only one who can pull the Master Sword from the pedestal. Once that is done, and Link destroys the source of the curse, then I'll make my move."

Looks of comprehension dawned on the Gerudos' faces as they understood what he was telling them and could anticipate his plans. Turning to Koume and Kotake, he told them, "Track Link and Zelda. I want to know where they're going for when the time comes for me to make my move."

"Understood, my lord," the Gerudo witches responded in unison.

The Gerudo witches then flew out the entrance to the throne room and went to track down Zelda and Link. Aveil then approached Ganondorf and asked, "Is there anything you need from me my lord?"

The Gerudo King turned and began to grin. "Yes, there is," he answered.

"How may I serve you?"

"I have no descendants," the Gerudo King began. "I wish for that to change, just in case something unforeseen happens. We will go back to the hideout. There, I shall take you as my concubine."

Aveil gave a smile at Ganondorf's command as one of her dreams was about to be fulfilled, for she had always felt a longing for her king. "Understood, my lord," she responded, not bothering to keep the anticipation out of her voice. Once she uttered those words, Ganondorf then opened a purple vortex and he and his new concubine stepped on through so they could share the pleasures of the bed in private.

Meanwhile, outside the castle, Zelda and Link appeared in the castle's courtyard. As they reappeared, Zelda magically formed a black robe with the Sheikah symbol, that of an eye with a single teardrop on it, and she used it to cover her regal uniform. "We have to leave the Castle Town now," she told Link.

"Where do you wish for me to take you, Your Majesty?"

"Somewhere away from here," Zelda answered. "And call me Zelda. You do not need to use any honorifics or titles with me, Hero of Twilight," she added lightheartedly, trying to lighten the mood.

"We could go to Ordon Village," Link suggested. "It's on the way to the Sacred Grove, where the Master Sword resides, and it's outside of Hyrule so it would be hard for Ganondorf to find."

"No," Zelda countered. "Ganondorf knew where you were from and he'll likely look for us there. Take me to Kakariko Village. It's more heavily defended than Ordon is and it's close enough to the Gorons and Death Mountain for me to be able to fall back to safety should I be discovered. Besides, it's a shorter trip to Kakariko than it is to Ordon Village. There are less things that can go wrong there should I be found."

Link could see Zelda's point. He doubted that they would remain undetected by Ganondorf for long. The last thing that they needed was to be in one place so Ganondorf could concentrate his forces. And Kakariko _was_ better defended than Ordon Village, and there was still Death Mountain to fall back to should Ganondorf launch an all out assault. He soon agreed with Zelda's decision and the two rushed over to Epona. Link helped Zelda quickly mount the horse. Once she was on, he mounted Epona. Once they were both onboard, he spurred Epona forward with a kick. The horse rocketed forward into the Castle Town. Once they were in the central square, Link turned towards the east and took the east road out of the town and into Hyrule Field so they could make their way to Kakariko Village as quickly as possible. However, they did not escape unnoticed.

Watching from one of the rooftops inside of Hyrule Castle Town, a figure that looked to have white and gray skin in diamond patterns wearing a yellow belt with a red jewel on the right part of his hip, with white hair that fell onto his face and covered his left eye, with his right ear being pointed and his left one being round, intently watched the duo depart on Epona. As he watched them leave, he was approached by a being with reddish skin that resembled a Japanese Oni and had a more cartoonish appearance than the other beings of Hylia. The soldier, despite being called a Bokoblin by his master, was nothing like the Bokoblins that served Ganondorf, as shown by his cartoonish appearance. "They are leaving the town and headed east, Lord Ghirahim."

"Are there any important landmarks in those areas?" Ghirahim asked.

"There is a trail to Death Mountain and Goron Mines there, as well as a village at the foot of the mountain. What are your orders?"

"Get your forces ready and attack with everything you have," Ghirahim answered. "Bring Zelda to me alive. Kill the hero!"

"Understood," the 'Bokoblin' answered with a grin. He then departed Ghirahim's presence, leaving the mysterious figure to watch Link and Zelda depart. "Soon," Ghirahim cooed. "Soon, my master will be restored once more and he will rule the entire world unopposed." He then gave a laugh before jumping down from the roof and departing from the scene.

Had he been more observant, he would have noticed Koume and Kotake hovering above him, along with the Kargaroks flying throughout the sky that were tracking Link and Zelda. The twin sorceress sisters had heard everything and were concerned. "Lord Ganondorf must be made aware of these events," they said in unison. With that, the two rocketed off towards the Gerudo Desert to inform their master of the latest turn of events.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

Link and Zelda rode Epona through the streets of Hyrule Castle Town as quickly, but also as safely as possible. Still, they did not want to attract a lot of attention, so they went through the area quickly but not at a blistering pace. It was a quiet area, with only a medical clinic and numerous houses and residences so they were in no danger of accidentally trampling anyone in the street, and was not likely to draw too much attention if they played it safe.

Not wanting to waste any time in the town, they headed due east on the eastern road, coming upon the gate that led to Hyrule Field. Link then thought back to his recent battles, wanting to make sure that he would have enough arrows should he run into any trouble while going to Kakariko Village. Thinking back on the battles, he was confident that he had enough arrows should they run into Ganondorf's forces or any brigands that might be coming after them since he only used one quiver of arrows in his battle to reach Zelda. Still, he would have much rather had access to his own Hero's Bow and the rest of his arsenal, which was sitting in storage boxes back in his tree house in Ordon Village.

Approaching the gate, they saw that there were no guards, which caused Zelda to breathe a sigh of relief. She did not want any well meaning, or possibly corrupt, guards to let anyone know where they were going and that they were leaving the town. Secrecy was the key. They both figured that Ganondorf strongly suspected that they would not be hanging around the Castle Town for long, given that they had no chance of beating him equipped as they were at the moment. However, they did not want the Gerudo King to be able to guess where they were going. That was one of the reasons why Zelda wanted to go to Kakariko Village. There was nothing really of value there for Link or for their quest to defeat him. The Lost Woods and the Temple of Time were in Faron Province, which was on the border with Ordona Province. They were the obvious starting locations for Ganondorf and his minions to search for the two of them. The duo soon rushed across the bridge and entered Hyrule Field, Zelda carefully scanning the area to make sure that they were not being followed or walking headfirst into an ambush.

"It looks like we're in the clear," Zelda stated with some trepidation as she scanned her surroundings and found nothing suspicious.

As soon as she had said that, though, she saw some Kargaroks off in the distance. They were still far away so they did not seem to be taking an interest in them. Still, it caused her to grow concerned. "I may have spoken too soon, Link. I'm spying some Kargaroks behind us. Ganondorf may be tracking us."

Link nodded in confirmation and he gave a kick and spurred Epona on. Epona picked up speed and they made their way to Zora's River. After about half an hour or so of running, with breaks for walking in order to give Epona a chance to catch her breath, they were in sight of the bridge over Zora's River. Zelda looked behind her and found some Kargaroks, along with two other figures that she did not recognize, off in the distance, but being careful to keep their distance. She looked forward to Link and told him, "I'm almost certain we're being tracked by Ganondorf."

"Right," Link answered, nodding.

Inwardly, the Hylian hero grimaced. There was no way that he could avoid being tracked by a flock of Kargaroks if they wanted to track him. For a split second, he considered asking Zelda if she wanted him to head back to them so they could try to take them down. He quickly realized, though, that there were likely a large number of Kargaroks tracking them and chances were that there would be too many to take down in a running battle and if they tried to fight them, they would be overwhelmed with superior numbers. Still, he did not want Ganondorf's minions to track them to Kakariko Village so easily. If there was any chance that he could put some doubt into Ganondorf's mind as to where he was going, he would take it. Just then, a thought came to his mind.

"Zelda, what is the range of the Light Arrows?" he asked.

Zelda's eyes flashed with surprise at the question for a bit before it dawned on her what Link was thinking. "They have incredibly long range," she answered. "They're like magic missiles. Their incredible speed means that they arc far less than other arrows and, thus, have much longer range."

"Do you think you could hit any of those Kargaroks, or at least get an arrow to them in order to make them think twice about following us?"

"Yes," Zelda answered confidently.

She did not need Link to tell her what to do next. She unslung her bow and strung a Light Arrow to it. A hum sounded as the arrow was charging and a blinding light built up at the head of the arrow. Zelda pulled back on the bowstring and took aim just above the Kargaroks in the distance, taking gravity into account as she targeted the birds. She doubted that she would be able to reliably hit any of them, but if she could scare them enough to cause them to retreat, then her objective would be accomplished. As soon as the string was pulled back as far as it could be, she let fly with the light arrow. The light of the arrow was like a second sun that traveled across the sky and it was visible for anyone and everyone in Hyrule Field, as well as anyone on the walls of the Castle Town to see. The arrow arced towards the birds and a miracle happened, for the arrow managed to wing a Kargarok. The arrow struck the bird in the right wing and a light exploded from it engulfing the bird in a golden sea of light. The explosion of light also managed to tag the wing of a second Kargarok. The first Kargarok was instantly disintegrated by the pure light from the arrow, while the second Kargarok only had its wing burned. Still, it was enough to cause the bird to fall out of the sky and go into an uncontrollable dive, crashing into the ground at great speed, the hit either knocking it unconscious or killing it. The remaining birds stopped mid-flight to wait and see what would come next.

Zelda, seeing the birds stop after her miraculous shot, was quick to fire a second arrow at them in the hope of driving them off. This arrow shot towards them and arced through the air. This one did not score any hits, but it came close enough to one of the birds that the risk was high enough that another arrow hitting them was actually a realistic possibility. As such, they decided that it was wiser to cut short their mission and report back to Ganondorf on their findings. He would almost certainly have a better idea of where the heroes were going than they would. As such, they broke off and retreated back towards Gerudo Desert.

Meanwhile, Koume and Kotake were watching the exchange with great interest. They were surprised that Zelda had managed to score a hit on the Kargaroks and take down two of them, with her second shot coming close enough to drive them off. Still, she frowned at the cowardice of the birds. They prepared a summoning spell should something unexpected happen and they need more forces, but would not activate it until it was needed. As they went to use their magic sight to follow Link and Zelda at a distance, something else caught their eye. They noticed a group eight large, menacing horse-like beings charging towards Link and Zelda at great speeds. Riding the horses were creatures that the two had never seen before. The Sorceress Sisters saw that the enemies were closing in fast and they used their magic to identify the beasts and riders. Much to their surprise, the riders of the Demonic Horses were none other than Bokoblins. These Bokoblins, however, looked nothing like the ones that served Ganondorf. These had red skin and looked like Oni, rather than the imp-like beings that were the new rank and file forces of Ganondorf. Looking down at the scene, the sisters knew it would not be long before the enemy force intercepted Link and Zelda. While they did not doubt that Link and Zelda would be able to hold out against an attack from the eight horses that were closing in on them, they could sense that many other demonic cavalry were ready to join the fight and were set to rendezvous with their comrades pretty soon. Scanning their minds, they could tell that there was only one thing on the minds of the riders: death. Their mission was to kill Link and capture Zelda. The Sorceress Sisters could not allow that.

"We must inform Ganondorf of the situation," Koume stated calmly as she watched the scene unfold below.

"We cannot allow these creatures to kill the Hero of Twilight, or the Queen of Hyrule, not yet," Kotake agreed.

The two witches then spun around and disappeared in a flash of fire and ice as they went to inform Ganondorf of what was happening, as well as gather a group of soldiers to intercept the demons attacking Link and Zelda. As they went to do so, they had to resist the urge to vomit at the prospect of saving the lives of Link and Zelda. And they could tell that Ganondorf would not be thrilled about having to help them, either.

Back down on Hyrule Field, Link and Zelda continued to ride through the field, Link having Epona set the pace at small trot so she could rest a bit and conserve her energy. Zelda still felt uneasy, though. She constantly looked behind her to see if there was anyone or anything pursuing them. For a few minutes, they seemed to be in the clear, but after those few minutes, she noticed several of what looked to be mounted soldiers coming over the horizon, closing in on them fast. She used her magical sight and found that they were still a ways away from Kakariko Village. She then used it to look back at the units that were coming after them and could feel that there was something magical about them, and it was not good magic. These were not normal brigands. Not wanting to take any chances, she looked forward at Link and alerted him to the situation.

"Pick it up, Link. I think we're being followed. Our pursuers have a dark magical aura about them."

Link nodded and spurred Epona forward. Despite his wish to conserve Epona's energy, the last thing he wanted was to get bogged down in a protracted battle against Ganondorf's followers, or any other enemies that may have been after them, for while brigands were not all that common in Hyrule Field since the defeat of Zant and Ganondorf, he did not want to take any chances. He unslung his bow and held it in his left hand while he used his right to guide Epona.

They continued to ride for the next half hour, Zelda constantly looking over her shoulder to see if any of their pursuers were gaining ground. So far, it was too hard to see whether or not their pursuers had made any progress, which told her that any progress that had been made was insignificant. For a brief moment, she considered firing a Light Arrow their way in order to try to drive them off. She shook off the idea when she realized that they had not made any real progress and, despite having a dark magical aura, might not have actually been evil. The Twilight Queen Midna had dark magic, and came from a realm of dark magic, yet she was not evil at all.

She looked forward to extend her sight to see just how far it was from Kakariko when she suddenly felt the appearance of several more riders. These were coming in from both the right and the left, and were closing fast. These were much closer as well, easily within shooting distance. She looked to both her right and her left and found that there were over a dozen cavalry coming their way. She quickly tapped Link on the shoulder to alert him that they were likely in danger, but it was not necessary, for Link could hear the footfalls of their steeds and their howls of bloodlust.

Link looked around and was easily able to make out the new riders. They rode on what could only loosely be described as horses. Their steeds had the same basic shape of a horse, with one head, four legs, and a body that could support one or more rider. These horses, however, had easily visible teeth that looked more like fangs. Their hooves were also curved and looked to have a single claw as well, perfect for tearing open anyone or anything they trampled. Their eyes glowed a deep red and their neighs were like the howls of their riders, violent and sadistic.

Zelda could sense the evil of the riders and even their steeds. The two quickly looked forward and saw that another group of eight cavalry had cut off their path to Kakariko Village, with more coming in to support them. This caused Link to direct Epona to the right so they could try to get around them. However, as he did so, he noticed several of the riders, red skinned creatures that were a little larger than Link that had menacing, yet also cartoonish, features and expressions on their faces. Their evil put to lie their looks, but what shocked Zelda the most was that when she went to try to identify them using the magic of the Triforce of Wisdom, the word that echoed throughout her mind was 'Bokoblin'. Her eyes flashed at the word. This was not possible. Bokoblins were imp-like creatures with either purple or blue skin. At least, the ones that served Ganondorf were. They were not the Oni-like creatures that they saw here. In addition, she noticed that despite their cartoonish appearance, they appeared to be more bloodthirsty and serious than the imp-like creatures that served Ganondorf. Quickly gleaning their mission, she found that they were there to capture her and kill Link. She then informed Link of the situation, telling him, "We have to move faster. Those Bokoblins are out to kill you and capture me. I don't know why they want me, but it can't be for anything good."

Link nodded, drew his sword and he spurred Epona towards the thinnest part of the Bokoblin lines while Zelda readied a Light Arrow. He was surprised that Zelda referred to their attackers as Bokoblins, but did not ask any questions at the moment. There would be plenty of time for that once they made it safely through the field and into Kakariko. With a kick and a sudden burst of acceleration, Epona charged towards the weak point in the ranks of the Bokoblins. Zelda fired her Light Arrow at the lead Bokoblin rider. The Light Arrow struck true and the Bokoblin and its mount were consumed by the bright yellow light that erupted from the arrow upon its strike. The Light Arrow gave pause to the rest of the Bokoblins, seeing what just one arrow did to their leader. Still, they quickly reasserted themselves and charged forward, aiming to take off Link's head.

Link had unsheathed his own blade, though, and waited for the Bokoblin cavalry to get close to him before making any moves. As they approached, he gripped his sword tightly, ready to swing at the first chance he got. One of the Bokoblin riders got within striking distance and readied his sword in an attempt to take off Link's head. Link was quicker on the attack, though, and beheaded the Bokoblin before he could take off the Hylian hero's head. A second swing took down a second Bokoblin, knocking the now dead creature off his steed. Link then heard a whistle sound past his ear and he reflexively ducked just before an arrow sailed through the space where his head used to be. Zelda retaliated for Link by shooting the Bokoblin archer with a Light Arrow, killing him, his mount, and a Bokoblin cavalry unit that was too close to him and bathed in the explosion of light, the burned Bokoblin and its demonic steed falling over.

Link looked ahead and saw that he was getting close to the last ranks of the Bokoblin attackers. These were all armed with bows and arrows. Knowing that he would have a better chance of thinning this rank with his own bow and arrow, he sheathed his sword and drew out his bow, readying an arrow. He took aim at the closest of the Bokoblin archers and let fly with his arrow. His aim was true and the arrow struck the archer between the eyes. The archer's head snapped back and he fell off the horse, and into the path of another demonic horse, who tripped over the rolling body and fell to the ground, throwing its rider in the process.

Link aimed a second arrow at the demonic steed of a Bokoblin rider and let fly with his arrow. This arrow struck the demonic horse between the eyes and took it down with a single hit, which surprised him given the supernatural appearance of these steeds. The rider was instantly thrown and landed forward, only to be trampled by Epona as Link charged towards the other Bokoblins and their mounts, seeing a hole opening in their lines.

Two more Bokoblin archers and steeds were destroyed by a Light Arrow fired from Zelda, the Hyrulean Queen almost grimly looking at her handiwork as they light consumed both rider and steed. Another shot from Link, and another Light Arrow shot from Zelda, opened a large hole in the lines of the Bokoblin attackers. Seeing this line, Link spurred Epona even more and the horse charged through. The Bokoblins attempted to close the hole, but were unsuccessful as Link drew his sword and performed a spin attack, knocking off the three remaining Bokoblins from the rank in front of them from their horses, either killing or severely injuring them. Link gave Epona another kick, spurring the horse to go even faster.

Epona rocketed off into the distance as several arrows whistled by Link's ears. Looking back, Link and Zelda spotted several Bokoblin archers riding their steeds at full stride, hoping to score a hit on either of the two Hylian riders before they were too far out of range. Zelda looked back at them and readied another Light Arrow. She aimed her arrow high, wanting to make sure that she would either score a direct hit on their pursuers or at least give them pause before continuing the pursuit.

As she drew back on the string, the arrow began to glow with a golden light that had the brightness of the sun. Despite its brightness, though, it did not hurt her eyes in the slightest. The same could not be said for the Bokoblins, though, who had to shield their eyes to prevent themselves from being blinded, those who had been fortunate enough to have not yet stared directly at the Light Arrow. Those who were, stopped their pursuit and reigned in their horses, who were beginning to go wild, either being blind or attempting to avoid blindness by looking away from the light. Those that were not fortunate enough to avoid looking directly into the Light Arrow were instantly blinded and were at the mercy of their mounts, who quickly either stopped, blinded by the light, and tossing their riders, or were carried away from the battle. Only a couple of Bokoblin cavalry continued the pursuit. Their pursuit was brought to a quick halt when Zelda let fly with her Light Arrow. The arrow arced through the air and landed among the Bokoblin cavalry, the explosion of light managing to wash over both riders and their steeds, killing them. The burned Bokoblins fell off their steeds and to the ground as Zelda and Link rode out of range of the remaining Bokoblin riders. Zelda then turned back and focused on Link as he directed Epona towards Kakariko Village, the Hyrulean Queen still keeping her magical senses open in order to make sure that there were no other pursuers.

Standing on a hill overlooking the field not too far away, Ghirahim watched as the first wave of Bokoblins were defeated. He looked on in disgust as Link and Zelda killed many of the Bokoblins, along with some of their mounts, and had either scared the others off or blinded them. "Pathetic," he commented derisively. While the Bokoblins were not the strongest of his servants, they were quite numerous and their numbers could turn the tide of a battle. Here, though, he had lost more than a dozen of his greatest warriors.

A rider soon approached his position and saluted him. This rider was also a Bokoblin, but this one was different. While still having the shape and clothing of the Red Bokoblins that had attacked Link and Zelda, this one had blue skin and was riding a black demonic horse. "Lord Ghirahim, the first wave has been defeated and has suffered numerous casualties. The remaining members of the wave have broken ranks and are fleeing in all directions."

"I can see that," Ghirahim retorted harshly.

"What are your orders my lord? Do you wish for another wave to be sent in?"

Ghirahim considered the Bokoblin's question for a moment. He was tempted to simply send in everything he had and hope that his forces managed to succeed. With him joining the fight, they should have been able to do so relatively easily. Still, there was the issue of what that weapon Zelda was using was. He had never seen a weapon like that before.

"Bokoblin, do you know what that magical arrow was that Zelda used on the first wave?" he asked.

The Bokoblin shook his head. "No, my lord. I do not. It is unlike any weapon I have seen used by the surface dwellers before."

Ghirahim grimaced. He had been hoping to learn if it was a weapon specifically crafted to destroy demons, like the Master Sword. If it was, then he would have to plan his next attack on Zelda very carefully. If he was careless, it could lead to his ruin. He had just barely survived the defeat of his master and he had not yet returned to full strength and, thus, was more vulnerable to weapons that repelled and destroyed evil than he was before. He soon answered the Blue Bokoblin's question, saying, "No. Just get the second wave ready. Make sure there are at least two of each type of Bokoblin in this wave, including Technoblins."

"What about the Cursed Bokoblins?"

"They're too slow for this mission and would not be of any use against a fast opponent," Ghirahim answered. "Zelda and Link would easily escape them. No, just make sure that you bring along the Green Bokoblins and some Blue ones as well, along with the aforementioned Technoblins. Send the others to Kakariko Village and Death Mountain. Have them set up positions there. We can avenge ourselves against the sole remaining race from the time of our War Against the Surface World, aside from the Hylians, and we can have a fortified position for dealing with Link or anyone else who might come after Zelda once I get her."

"What about you, my lord?"

"I'll be going to capture Zelda myself, and deal with that ever annoying hero, Link," Ghirahim answered in an annoyed tone. "Besides, you'll need me to summon you to the field. There's no way our steeds will keep up with that horse of Link's. Turning to the Blue Bokoblin, he finished, "You have your orders, Blue Bokoblin. Execute them!"

"Yes, my lord," the Blue Bokoblin answered. He then saluted Ghirahim and turned towards the field. With a single kick, he spurred his demonic steed towards the field, and the second group of Bokoblins. Once he joined them, they went off in pursuit of Link.

Ghirahim looked out over the field and used his magical sight to spy on Link and Zelda. They had increased their pace as they made their way towards Kakariko Village. They were already arriving at Kakariko Gorge. It would not be long before they made it to the village. Chanting a spell in an unknown language, Ghirahim then summoned a demonic steed of his own. This steed was larger and more majestic than those used by his Bokoblin minions. This one was also covered in ornate golden armor. He then summoned a rapier-like blade out of thin air and mounted the horse. Once he had mounted the horse, he gave out a, "Ha," and spurred the horse towards Hyrule Field, where it charged after Zelda and Link with unnatural speed and grace.

Link and Zelda continued to ride through Hyrule Field until they came to a large gorge. Link knew that this was Kakariko Gorge and that they were getting close to Kakariko Village. Not only that, but despite the size of the gorge, he knew that there was a bridge that crossed the gorge and allowed access to Kakariko Village, itself. As he approached the gorge, he came to within a couple dozen meters and stopped for a moment.

"What's wrong?" Zelda asked.

"Nothing," Link answered. "This is Kakariko Gorge. There's a bridge somewhere nearby that will allow us to cross over and grant us access to Kakariko Village. I'm just looking around to get my bearings so we'll take the right path."

He continued to scan his surroundings until he was sure that the bridge was to the left. When he was sure, he smiled and directed Epona to her left. With a single kick, he spurred Epona on.

As they began the run, though, they heard the footfalls of another horse coming. Turning around, they saw a majestic, yet also demonic, horse rushing towards them. Riding the horse was a mysterious figure that neither Link nor Zelda recognized. He had white and gray skin that was arranged in a diamond-like pattern. He wore white gloves and was holding a rapier-like blade and his right ear was pointed, while his white hair covering his left, likely round, ear. He also wore a blue jewel-like earring on his right ear. He eventually brought his horse to a stop when he was ten meters in front of them and he grinned. "Greeting Link, and Your Grace," he said, holding out his sword and giving what looked to be a mock bow. It was clear that, despite his seeming respectful tone, that there was a note of derision and hatred. "It's been a very long time." Both Link and Zelda were surprised at the fact that the mysterious figure seemed to know them.

"Who are you?" Zelda demanded.

"I am Demon Lord Ghirahim, Your Grace," the figure answered, giving an exaggerated bow.

"How do you know us?"

"We've known each other since your first incarnation, Your Grace," Ghirahim answered. He then turned to Link. "And I most certainly remember _you_," he added venomously.

His statement put Link on edge and he drew his sword. Upon seeing Link's sword, though, Ghirahim gave a cocky smile. "But this time, you don't have the Master Sword to help you."

His statement caused Link's eyes to go wide with shock. _How does he know about the Master Sword_? Link wondered. _Who is he_?

Ghirahim stared at them, almost wondering why they did not recognize him. It then dawned on him that Link, and possibly Zelda, were not necessarily of the same bloodline as the Link and Zelda that he had been acquainted with millennia ago. In fact, he sensed something completely different about this Link. He sensed a power and strength in this Link that was not present in the previous one, despite the fact that they had the same courageous spirit. There were clear differences between the two. Turning to Zelda, he sensed that this Zelda was still of the same bloodline as the goddess Hylia, but there was also a mysterious power inside of her as well.

He then attempted to cast a spell on them to test this power and then saw marks begin to glow on the backs of their hands. Both Link and Zelda noticed that their Triforce marks were glowing and they looked down at them. Ghirahim noticed the marks and his eyes went wide with surprise, as well as excitement. There was no doubt about it; they had the marks of the power of the Old Gods. He could see Wisdom and Courage, but Power was missing. Someone else must have had that. He would have to track it down once he dealt with Zelda and Link. If all went well, he could use the Triforce to revive his master and not have to rely on his original plan, which he was not certain would succeed.

He focused back on Link and Zelda and grinned once more. "I have waited for this moment for so long, Your Grace," he sneered. "The Goddess and her Hero staring me in the face. This time, you'll lose."

He then held his sword high and charged towards Link. Link spurred Epona forward and held up his sword, ready to intercept Ghirahim's attack. As Ghirahim charged he brought his sword down upon Link. Link raised his own sword to intercept the Demon Lord's attack. The two swords clashed and a loud clang rang out. Link and Ghirahim stared at one another, Ghirahim's arrogance showing in his grin, as did his hatred for the hero. It was Link's turn to take a swipe at Ghirahim. Ghirahim raised his sword and intercepted Link's swipe. Link swung again, this time leading with his sword so Ghirahim would put his sword out of position so that he could get a clean hit in on the demon. Once he saw an opening, he swung his sword and scored a direct hit on the Demon Lord, but he heard his sword strike what appeared to be metal and the slash did nothing.

"You'll have to do better than that, Chosen Hero," the Demon Lord mocked. "Your sword is dull. Without any magic, you don't stand a chance against me."

While Ghirahim had been fighting Link, though, Zelda powered a Light Arrow. Ghirahim could see the glow of the arrow, but was not concerned. He could not sense any of the power of the Old Gods in the arrow, so he doubted that it would be sufficient to harm him. He then went back on the attack against Link, but he was finding his fight against the Hylian hero to be quite difficult, for this Link was even more skilled with the sword than the last one. After a few exchanges of blows, Link managed to lock his sword with Ghirahim's, forcing him to remain stationary, allowing Zelda to draw a bead on him. She then unleashed her Light Arrow and the arrow almost instantaneously scored a direct hit on Ghirahim's chest. Immediately upon striking the Demon Lord, there was an explosion of Light and Ghirahim was bathed in a golden glow. He gave a cry of shock and pain as the Light ate away at his power and his darkness. He felt all of his defenses vanish and he was suddenly vulnerable. Not only that, but the arrow, itself, also inflicted damage on him. He dropped his sword and was now defenseless before Link.

Seeing his chance, Link repeatedly slashed at the so-called Demon Lord's body. Despite the fact that Ghirahim did not lose a single drop of blood, Link could tell from Ghirahim's grunts and cries that his slashes were inflicting actual damage to the demon. Given the fact that the being was a demon of some sort, and with how deep his cuts were, it was doubtful that Ghirahim had any blood. Still, the depth of the cuts, as well as Ghirahim's grunts and cries, told Link everything he needed to know. His sword was now effective against the Demon Lord.

Ghirahim, for his part, was in utter shock when Link's sword strikes managed to inflict damage to him. He had been surprised enough when the Light Arrow managed to inflict damage to him. Nothing but the power of the Old Gods should have been able to harm him. But to be harmed by a non-magical sword? He was in utter disbelief that such a mundane sword like the one Link was using could do anything to him, much less actually inflict real harm. He then thought back to Zelda's Light Arrow and seethed. The arrow's magic must have neutralized his defenses and left him vulnerable to attack. He would have to retreat until the glow died down and he regained his normal defenses. Then he could reengage Link and Zelda and continue with his mission.

He did so and drew away from Link and Zelda for a second. As he did so, he raised his left hand into the sky and spoke a single word in an unknown language. As he did so, twenty Bokoblins riding demonic horses appeared, surrounding Ghirahim. "Take them!" Ghirahim commanded. "Capture Zelda. I want her alive and as uninjured as possible. Kill Link!"

The others nodded and charged towards Link and Zelda. As they charged, Link sheathed his sword and spurred Epona forward, hoping to reach the bridge that would lead to Kakariko Village before they would be overwhelmed. He took aim at the lead Bokoblin's demonic steed and fired his arrow. The arrow struck the demonic steed in the head and felled it with one shot. The falling steed threw its rider as it stumbled forward and rolled on the ground. It rolled to its side and barreled into two other steeds, knocking them to the ground, either crushing or throwing their riders. A couple more demonic steeds tripped over the other fallen, throwing their riders. The others had to maneuver around the scene, giving Link and Zelda a valuable head start on them.

Ghirahim grimaced as he pursued Link and Zelda. He chanted another spell and gave the rest of the horses unnatural speed and power. Link, seeing the steeds coming in faster, strung another arrow to his bow and fired it at another rider. He felled the Bokoblin, this one wearing strange glasses and having strange white clothes on, wielding what looked to be a baton with lightning crackling around it. He soon found another Bulblin, this one a green one, and fired another arrow, striking the monster between the eyes. The Bulblin fell from his horse and onto the ground.

All the while, Zelda was readying another Light Arrow. As it was charging, Link took down another Bokoblin, this one having blue skin. Ghirahim, however, would not make targeting him easy. He went evasive and swerved to the side, pulling away so that even if he was hit, that it would take Link time to reach him. "Form a ring!" he commanded the remaining Bokoblins. "You must protect me from Zelda's Light Arrow. Her capture is paramount and I'm the only one who knows the ritual for reviving Demise!"

Link did not notice Zelda's eyes flash at the mention of Demise. She had remembered the legends regarding a demon named Demise that was defeated long ago, before the founding of Hyrule. So it appeared as if this Ghirahim was a servant of Demise. That made it even more essential that they managed to stop him now. She fired her other Light Arrow at Ghirahim and scored a direct hit. The arrow exploded in a blast of light upon hitting the demon and the explosion spread and touched two of the demonic horses, along with their Bokoblin riders. The Bokoblins were burned and they let out piercing screams of pain as the Light killed them. Link drew his sword and knocked two more Bokoblins off their steeds with sword swings, either stunning or killing them, on his way to the Demon Lord. Once he arrived, he slashed at the Demon Lord again, and again, he was inflicting more damage. However, both he and Zelda quickly saw that the damage being inflicted was decreasing, as if there was a limit that a non-magical sword like a Link's Ordon Sword could inflict, even with the power of a Light Arrow neutralizing the Demon Lord's normal defenses. Now the issue was how to kill Ghirahim. Link knew that the Light Arrows could weaken the Demon Lord, but he doubted that even after taking a hit with the Light Arrows, that his Ordon Sword would be able to kill the demon. There had to be a way to take care of Ghirahim, and a plan soon formed. He gave a kick and spurred Epona on. In the distance, he spotted the bridge over the gorge and the Hylian hero grinned. This was his chance to take down Ghirahim. He doubted that his plan would kill the demon, but it would hopefully put him out of commission for a while.

He neared spurred Epona to full speed and told Zelda, "Ready a Light Arrow. We have to draw Ghirahim to the bridge. I'm going to try to knock him into the gorge."

"Do you think that will work?"

"It won't kill him, but it'll slow him down and allow us to get to Kakariko Village. After that, we can find safe haven for you while I go get the Master Sword. I have a feeling that I'll need the blade in order to defeat this Ghirahim as well."

Zelda agreed with Link's assessment of the situation. Truthfully, she was beginning to wonder if it would be better to go straight to Faron Woods, or even to Ordon Village and to Ordon Spring and use that as sanctuary. It would be unexpected after going all the way to Kakariko. Still, there was the possibility of Ganondorf's forces taking advantage of the situation. In the end, she felt it best to go to the closest Spirit Spring, in this case, Eldin Spring.

The duo approached the bridge, with Link drawing his sword once more and focusing on steering Epona while Zelda looked back for any sign of Ghirahim. Sure enough, the Demon Lord came surging through his lines and right towards them. Zelda charged another Light Arrow and let fly with the arrow of light. Ghirahim ducked and swerved his mount out of the way of the arrow and it sailed wide of him. He grinned and cried out, "Your aim's getting worse. Are you getting tired?"

Zelda grimaced outwardly, but inwardly, she could only smile. He was underestimating them, and they would make him pay for his arrogance. As they approached the bridge, they slowed down and allowed Ghirahim to catch up with them. They soon crossed the bridge and once they were across, they waited on the other side for Ghirahim's approach. As soon as he made it to the bridge, he came to a halt and looked across the small bridge. He noticed that Zelda was charging another Light Arrow and that Link was readying himself for another attack. Ghirahim, however, had a plan of his own.

Chanting a spell, two red magical daggers appeared behind him. As soon as they appeared, he charged towards the heroes. As he did so, he fired them at Link and Zelda just as Zelda was about to fire on him. The two daggers rocketed towards Link, but the hero was able to focus in on the daggers and with two swings of his sword, he deflected both of them away, harmlessly. The same could not be said about Ghirahim and Zelda's Light Arrow. Her Light Arrow scored a direct hit on the Demon Lord and he and his steed were once again covered with a golden glow and his steed staggered forward with him sagging in the saddle. As Link approached, Zelda drew out her ceremonial sword and channeled her magical power into it. As soon as they were close enough to the demon, they both swung their swords, Link performing a spin attack, with Zelda performing a highly precise thrust. The thrust from Zelda struck first and knocked him off balance. The demon struggled to maintain his seating when Link's spin attack struck him and knocked him out of the saddle. He immediately fell from the saddle and hit the ground, rolling a few feet until there was no more wood and only the long fall into the gorge. He fell over the edge and into the darkness below, vowing, "This is not the end! I'll be back!"

Both Link and Zelda knew that he would stay true to his vow. They would not likely have a lot of time in order to get to the village before the remainder of Ghirahim's forces came to intercept them. As they went to ride towards the village, they could already hear the footfalls of the remaining Bokoblin riders coming their way. Wasting no time, they turned and ran towards the village, Zelda turning back and readying a Light Arrow. She would use them to ward off the last vestiges of pursuit while they made their way to the village, which was now coming close.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

Back in Hyrule Castle, Koume and Kotake made their report to Ganondorf, who sat on the castle's plush throne. "Master, there is another who seeks the new Queen of Hyrule," they began. "There is an army of monsters that calls themselves Bokoblins, who serves a flamboyant figure with white and gray diamond-shaped skin that we heard was named Ghirahim. They attempted to capture Zelda and kill Link."

Ganondorf grimaced. As much as he hated Link, the Hylian hero was key to his plans. He could not allow him to be killed, not yet. "That cannot be allowed," he eventually stated with difficulty, as if saying such a thing was anathema to him. "Link cannot be allowed to die just yet."

"Don't worry, master," Kotake stated calmly. "For better or for worse, Link and Zelda managed to defeat the forces pursuing them. Using our magical sight, we are certain that they managed to knock this Ghirahim down to the bottom of Kakariko Gorge."

"That won't kill him," Ganondorf stated quickly, too quickly for Koume and Kotake's liking.

"Are you sure?" Koume asked, her surprise evident in her voice. "Kakariko Gorge is a long fall."

"I'd survive it," Ganondorf countered.

"Yes, but you're our king, and the bearer of the Triforce of Power," Koume answered.

"And Ghirahim is the servant of the demon king known as Demise," the Gerudo King added. "Demise was very powerful, a match for a lesser goddess."

"How do you know this?"

"Before my first invasion, I took the time to study the land," Ganondorf answered. "When I was exposed by the hero known as the Hero of Time, I could scarcely believe that my plans had been discovered, and that I had been foiled so quickly. As you know, during the ensuing war, our forces were devastated, with the Gerudos loyal to Nabooru quickly gaining strength and power. After my failed execution and my banishment to the Twilight Realm, I used my power to glean everything I could about my history, especially after I returned and let Zant run around, doing what he wanted. During my studies, I came across the legend regarding the appearance of a demon known as Demise. The legend states that he and his forces emerged from a crack in the earth and launched an assault on the surface people. He was searching for the Triforce. The goddess, Hylia, assembled the people who would eventually become known as the Hylians to a piece of land and sent it into the sky. She then went and did battle with Demise and his servants alongside the other surface races. After a long and brutal war, the surface people defeated the demon army and Hylia managed to seal Demise, despite being gravely wounded in the battle. During the battle, Demise used a sword known as Ghirahim. It was a magical sword similar to the Master Sword. Which came first, I don't know. What I do know, though, is that there was a spirit inside of the Ghirahim sword known as Ghirahim. That is the being Link fought in Hyrule Field. I'm certain that he intends to revive Demise, and hopes to use Zelda to do it."

"So what should we do?" Koume and Kotake asked in unison.

Ganondorf grinned. "Let him try," came the answer.

Koume and Kotake's eyes went wide at the revelation. "Are you sure? What if Demise comes looking for you? You have one of the Triforce pieces. What if he tries to take it from you."

"Then he'll die," came Ganondorf's answer. "One thing I am not is a demon who was surpassed by his own weapon. But fortunately, it won't come to that. The only way he'll ever be revived is for Link to pull the Master Sword. And he can only be revived if Ghirahim finishes the ritual with Zelda."

"But Zelda has the Triforce of Wisdom. What if Ghirahim gains hold of it?"

"I'll take it from him," Ganondorf answered confidently.

The sorceress sisters then nodded. "What are your orders?"

"Scan Kakariko Village and Death Mountain. That's where Link and Zelda were headed and there's no way that Eldin will be able to stop Ghirahim. He'll get Zelda. Simply find them and report back to me once it is done."

"Understood, Master," they answered. The witches then took off on their brooms and zoomed away.

As soon as they had left, a young Gerudo woman with long, orange hair emerged from a back room dressed in only a light, thin sleeping gown. As soon as she stepped out, Ganondorf turned and looked back at her. "Is everything alright, my lord?" she asked with a note of concern in her voice.

Ganondorf grinned. "Everything is going as I hoped, Aveil. Soon, my link to Zelda and Link will be a thing of the past and I will finally be able to kill them without fear of them simply returning later on. Go back into our room. I'll join you shortly."

"Understood," she answered, bowing and retreating back into the room.

Once she had retreated, Ganondorf used his power to examine the entirety of Gerudo Desert, just to make sure that there were no unexpected visitors. The last thing he needed was for the Gerudo rebels to choose to attack now. Seeing that everything was in order and that the rebels were not in sight, he then went to the back room to be with Aveil and enjoy her presence for the rest of the day and night, assuming he heard nothing regarding Ghirahim and/or Link and Zelda.

Link and Zelda rode towards the entrance to Kakariko Village at a far more leisurely pace than they had for most of the trip. As they rode towards the village, Zelda constantly looked back to see if Ghirahim's forces were still pursuing them. They found that the remaining Bokoblins had broken off their pursuit and were no longer in sight, which surprised them a little. While they had expected the defeat of Ghirahim to demoralize them, they had not expected his defeat to cause them to break and either flee or remain where they were. Of course, there was also the possibility that they were trying to find a way to get down to Ghirahim and bring him back up to them from the bottom of Kakariko Gorge. They doubted that he would need their help for that, but they hoped that the demonic Bokoblins were too stupid to realize that and that they would have served him better by continuing to track them. As it was, though, they were no longer being pursued and they decided to get to the village so they could rest Epona before the continued on their way.

It was not long before they arrived at the entrance to Kakariko Village. The entrance consisted of a narrow archway of rock, with the path being surrounded by stone cliff walls that were too steep to climb without proper equipment. Looking forward, they saw that there were no guards at the entrance to the village. They hoped that that merely meant that the people of Kakariko felt that they were safe enough and that the world was peaceful enough for them to not have to post guards at the entrance to the village. Zelda was beginning to grow concerned and she looked down at her right hand, waiting to see if the Triforce of Wisdom was glowing in warning of impending attack or the presence of evil. She noticed that Link, too, seemed to be a bit on edge. Normally, the lack of guards would not have been a problem for her, but the fact that Link had Epona slow down and that he was now unsheathing his sword caused her to grow concerned. She had heard reports of how Kakariko had been attacked by Shadow Beasts during the Twilight Invasion and that the only remaining villagers had been a human shaman named Renado, his daughter Luda, and Barnes, a bomb maker. It could simply be the fact that there were so few villagers left in the village after the Twilight Invasion that there was no need for guards. And even if there had been, the Gorons lived on Death Mountain and they did a good job protecting the mountain from attack. They may have simply been the current defense for the village. Looking at her Triforce mark, she saw that it was not glowing, but she still remained on edge. Ganondorf would almost certainly be coming after them, and Ghirahim was no slouch, either. The best thing, for them, would be for Ganondorf and Ghirahim's forces to encounter each other and start a fight over who gets them. Not wasting any time, Link continued into the village, hoping to get to Eldin before any more enemy forces came searching for them.

Meanwhile, down at the bottom of Kakariko Gorge, Ghirahim sat on the rocky ground, staring up at the sky, which was quite small to him from his vantage point. He thought back to his battle against Zelda and Link which had only concluded a few minutes ago. A part of him was seething that a demon like him could be defeated by such a plain mortal like Link, for even without Zelda's help, he had not made any headway against Link in the swordfight. Still, had it not been for Zelda, Link would not have had any weaponry that would have been effective against him. He could have simply waited out Link and killed him when he got tired. After all, _he_ did not have the problem of fatigue. Still, he could not help but think that there was more to Link than met the eye, even more so with this Link than the one he had faced all those centuries ago. He could not afford to underestimate him this time, or Zelda for that matter since she had those accursed Light Arrows.

"It appears as if the reincarnation of the goddess and her hero are stronger this time around than they were the last," he commented. "And they have better weaponry, too; or at least Zelda does," he added quickly. Link's Ordon Sword was laughably ineffective against him without the support of the Light Arrows.

The good thing was that he knew exactly where Link and Zelda were headed. They were almost certainly going to Kakariko Village. First off, it was close. Second was the fact that there was almost certainly a Light presence there. It must have also been powerful for him to have sensed it as far away from the village as he was while still battling Link and Zelda. If that Light presence was the source of the Light Arrows, it would be a dangerous enemy, indeed. However, disabling it or killing it would also cripple Link's ability to fight him and his army. He grinned at the thought. "And I know exactly what to do to stop you, and get what I need to revive my master," he said with an evil grin. Upon uttering those last words, Ghirahim vanished from the gorge, an imprint on the ground being the only sign he had ever been in Kakariko Gorge.

Back inside Kakariko Village, Link and Zelda quickly came to a second path that seemed to be cut into the cliff, as if a part of the cliff had been removed. They quickly turned to the right and proceeded to follow the second path. After traveling about ten meters or so, they came to a marble path in the canyon that led to a single step. Walking up the step, they continued on, walking around three large rocks seemingly jutting out from the marble, just before the spring, eventually coming to the spring, itself, which was only a few more meters away. Once they arrived at the spring, they saw a light emanate from the water. Link then guided Epona into the spring and dismounted from the horse. He stood to the side to assist Zelda in her dismount, who waved him off and dismounted with the grace of a natural rider.

Once they had dismounted Epona, the two rested in the spring, feeling a refreshing sensation coming over them. After a few moments, they looked into the water and saw a light shining from the floor. The light gradually rose until a golden globe of light broke the surface and hovered a few feet into the air. There was a large flash of light and suddenly, the Light Spirit Eldin floated before them. Eldin resembled a bird creature of some sort and had an incredible wingspan. The Light Spirit looked like an energy being that glowed all gold save for some dark gray circular markings on his wings. In addition, there was a gold and dark gray ball of energy below it, as if being held in his talons.

"Greetings Link. It has been some time," Eldin began. "And yet, I am surprised to see you so soon."

"Things have happened recently," Zelda stated.

"Yes, I know," Eldin answered. "Ganondorf has returned, and that is a problem, especially since he was stabbed in the heart with the Master Sword and should be dead. But the real issue seems to be the return of the Demon Lord Ghirahim."

"Who is Ghirahim?" Zelda asked. "And how does he know me?"

"He doesn't know you personally," Eldin answered. "However, he does know your previous incarnation, as well as a previous Hero, Link, the second of the Chosen Heroes of the same name," the Light Spirit said, turning to Link.

"So why is he after us?" Zelda asked.

"He wants _you_," Eldin said, refocusing its attention on Zelda. "Link is merely an obstacle, an even more dangerous one now that he has shown himself to be a skilled fighter without any special weapons."

"But Link had my help in our last battle," Zelda countered. "We needed the Light Arrows to weaken him so Link's sword could inflict damage."

"Even with his magical defenses neutralized, Ghirahim cannot be destroyed by ordinary non-magical weaponry like the sword Link is using," Eldin told them. "He is far more resilient than that."

"So what is he?"

"Physically, he is the sword of a demon known as Demise," Eldin answered. "But in reality, he is the spirit of the sword."

"Demise?" Zelda said questioningly, as if she had heard the name somewhere before.

"So you have heard of him."

"I've heard the name, but I don't know much about him. All that is spoken of in legends and in the texts of the Royal Family is that there was once a great demon that attacked the surface long before Hyrule was founded. He was eventually sealed, but was freed before being destroyed by a hero chosen by one of the gods."

"The goddess that chose him was named Hylia, your direct ancestor," Eldin told Zelda, bringing a gasp from the queen. "She shed her immortality and power in order to ensure that Demise would be sealed. She also reincarnated in the form of a mortal so the Triforce could be used in order to defeat Demise once and for all. After Demise was defeated and his consciousness was sealed, her descendant, also named Zelda, and her hero, Link, eventually married and remained on the surface, starting the Royal Hyrulean Bloodline, of which you are a part of."

"What about Link?" Zelda asked.

"Link has the same courage as the Chosen Hero of the Goddess, but he is not of her bloodline and is _not_ a reincarnation of the Hero. He merely has the same spirit, which means that he has the same courage that all other Heroes that have the same spirit possessed. He is _not_ that Link. His connection to you was formed when he helped you in your time of need during the Twilight Invasion."

"So what are Ghirahim's capabilities, and why are the Bokoblins that he commands so different from the ones serving under Ganondorf?"

"The Bokoblins that serve Ghirahim, and by extent, Demise, are demons as well. While they do not have the same magical defenses that Ghirahim and Demise have and can be killed by normal weapons, as you well know, they have the same origin as the other demons that emerged from that crack in the earth on that fateful day."

"What other forces does Ghirahim have at his disposal?" Zelda asked.

"From what I know of what has been passed down, since the wars, themselves, occurred before we Light Spirits were given our current assignments, there were also Stalfos, Moblins, and other demonic enemies in the service of Demise. Many of these are enemies you have already encountered, such as Keese, Lizalfos, Guays, Chus, Moldorms, Deku Babas, etcetera. Bulblins, Darknuts, and even Dinolfos, were not seen until much later, only serving Ganondorf, who, himself, may have a connection to Demise."

"What do you mean? What possible connection could Ganondorf have to Demise?"

"It has been theorized that Ganondorf is an incarnation of Demise's hatred. There is no proof of this, though, and it is merely conjecture at the moment. When Demise was defeated and eventually 'permanently' killed, his remains were sealed within the Master Sword, which is problematic since the Power to Repel Evil that the Master Sword had should have eventually destroyed him. Still, it is rumored that his consciousness would eventually dissolve within the Master Sword. However, before he was sealed, he cast a curse on Link that would bind him, Zelda, and the incarnation of Demise's hatred to each other through the centuries. That still causes a problem, though, since Link was holding the Master Sword so the blade's Power to Repel Evil should have neutralized the curse before it even had a chance to take effect. Still, there is evidence that the curse did take effect and overpower the blade's ability to destroy evil, most notably due to the fact that there have been enemies that have brought together a Link and a Zelda to face off against such an enemy, indicating that the curse did, indeed take form and activate. Another major issue is that there have been other enemies of Chosen Heroes, even after said enemies have merely been sealed and not killed. The most notable example of this is the appearance of an enemy known as Vaati, who rose to conquer Hyrule but was eventually defeated and sealed inside the Four Sword. Many believe Vaati to be the first known incarnation of Demise's hatred. Still, I am uncertain that the theory is, indeed, true, since the Master Sword was designed to destroy Demise and his evil magic; and even if it does turn out to be true, it must be stated that Ganondorf is _not_ Demise, just as you are not Hylia, and Link is not the Hero Chosen by Her Grace. You may be able to call upon the power of Hylia, with the help of the Triforce, and Link has the courageous spirit of the Hero, but you are both your own selves, not forced into any singular destiny. You could have refused to be a part of this cycle."

"Is the curse why Ganondorf is still alive?" Link asked.

Eldin hesitated before giving an answer. "I don't know for certain," Eldin eventually responded. "It's possible, but I would find that highly unlikely."

"What do you mean?" Zelda inquired.

"I mean that the Master Sword that sealed the consciousness of Demise and the Master Sword that stabbed Ganondorf are, in effect, two very different blades, even if they are the same, physically. The Master Sword that sealed Demise had the ability to draw power from the sky and shoot a wave of energy at an enemy. It had a noticeable, but limited, amount of power with which to repel evil, but it was nothing like the Master Sword you used. The Master Sword you used to kill Ganondorf, however, can't use a Skyward Strike, but its ability to repel evil magic and destroy enemy curses, no matter how powerful said curses are, was greatly increased during its reforging, possibly to the point where it could be a no limits weapon against evil magic. Had your Master Sword been used to kill Demise, he would never have been able to cast his curse. He would have been killed before the spell even had a chance to go off, and even if he did not die, the spell would have been neutralized by the power of the Master Sword. Still, the Master Sword of the past was still a potent weapon against evil. It had to be since it was designed specifically to kill Demise and other evil demons. I would not be surprised if it still had the power to either weaken or completely neutralize the curse."

While Eldin had been talking, Link noticed that Eldin had mentioned that the Master Sword had been reforged, something that he had not heard of before. Looking over at Zelda, it was obvious that she was surprised to hear of the sword's reforging. "What caused the Master Sword to be reforged?" Link asked.

"The War in the Heavens," Eldin answered. "It was a war where an enemy race, the Elvanheim, invaded the world of Hylia and the gods met them in battle. The Elvanheim were an enemy whose individual species members could take on lesser gods, and at an edge of two or three on one, could match if not exceed even one of the Golden Goddesses. The battle lasted for months."

That statement brought a gasp from Zelda. "Something could challenge the old gods like that?"

Eldin nodded. "Quite easily, sadly," he answered. "What's worse is that there were warning signs as to their coming and some in the world had tried to take precautions. We three Light Spirits, however, punished those who were warning us, believing them to merely be seeking power for conquest, rather than actually considering that they could sense the impending arrival of the Elvanheim. But that discussion is for another time. Dealing with Ghirahim is your current issue."

"So how can we defeat him?"

"He is vulnerable to Light Arrows," Eldin answered. "The Master Sword, either version, would also be able to kill him, even without help from the Light Arrows. As for other weapons that might be effective, any weapon that has a magical nature would be effective in destroying Ghirahim if he is first weakened by the Light Arrows."

"Are there any such weapons around Hyrule?" Link asked.

"There are," Eldin answered. "In fact, one of them is quite close." Eldin then paused before continuing, as if sensing something. "Get down!" he cried as he flew over and shielded both Link and Zelda from two Bomb Arrows. The Bomb Arrows struck Eldin in the wings and exploded, but inflicted no damage to the Light Spirit. Eldin was about to respond when a wave of red energy struck him, forcing him backwards a few feet.

Looking out, Link and Zelda saw Ghirahim standing before them, a rapier pointed towards the two heroes. He was backed by a large army of what looked to be Moblins, Stalfos, and demon Bokoblins. Link grimaced as he drew his sword and examined the scene. Zelda stood by Link and drew her bow, readying a Light Arrow.

"Not this time," Ghirahim called as he raised his sword into the sky. It was soon surrounded by a red field of energy. Before he could fire it at either Link or Zelda, though, Zelda had drawn a bead on him. She then let fly with her Light Arrow just as several Bokoblins and a Moblin charged both her and Link in order to keep them occupied. But just as she had fired, a Moblin, this one a large, fat, cartoonish pig-like enemy with a large sword and a large iron shield that looked like it could have been a wall, ran in front of Ghirahim and took the hit for him. The Light Arrow struck the shield and exploded into a dazzling display of light. The Light washed over the Moblin, instantly burning and destroying him, but it gave Ghirahim all the time he needed. He brought his sword down and a red wave of energy was unleashed towards Zelda. The monsters had done their duty, even as two of them were knocked to the ground by a single swing of her bow. They had screened her and as soon as they were knocked to the ground, the red wave of energy crossed the distance between Ghirahim and Zelda, striking her before she recognized the danger and was able to dive out of the way. Red electrical sparks arced across her body and she gave a cry as her body seized up and she fell to the ground, temporarily paralyzed, but still alive and otherwise unharmed.

Ghirahim casually made his way towards Zelda, flanked by two Moblins, heedless of the hero that was fighting his way through the rest of his forces. Once he arrived, he told the Moblins, "Cover us. I can't have this hero following us."

"Understood, master," the Moblins replied in unison as they stood in front of him, shielding him from Link's view. However, Eldin was quick to recover.

Eldin rose and fired a blast of light towards the demon lord, who held out an incapacitated Zelda as a shield. The blast of light struck Zelda and bathed her in a golden glow as Ghirahim released her from his grasp, stepping away from the Light covered Zelda, and raising his rapier to the sky, as well as generating several daggers surrounded by a red field of energy. His sword quickly glowed red and he brought it down, sending a wave of energy towards Eldin. Eldin generated a shield of light and the red wave of energy crashed into it but failed to breach it. However, what Ghirahim seemed to fail to realize was the fact that the light that washed over Zelda was not meant to damage anyone, but to heal her.

Zelda quickly stood up as soon as the light faded and went on the offensive against Ghirahim. She quickly drew her bow and prepared to string another Light Arrow to it. With speed she did not know he had, Ghirahim quickly appeared before her and generated a large broadsword. He immediately swung the sword, forcing her to use her bow in order to block the blade. The blade was too powerful, though, and the sword cut right through the bow. As soon as the bow was cleaved, a massive explosion of light erupted from the destroyed ends and washed over the entire spring. Ghirahim leapt away in order to avoid being swallowed by the light. Even with his leap, the explosion of light was so great that it was still able to wash over him. He felt all strength leave him and he knew that he was vulnerable as golden sparks of energy arced across his body, but he had not suffered any real damage. His subordinates were not so fortunate, though, and they were swallowed by the light. They gave cries of pain and terror as the light engulfed them and burned them. After a few seconds, no trace of the demonic Bokoblins, Moblins, or Stalfos remained. Ghirahim did not care about the fate of his followers, for they had not been making any headway against Link in their battle at all.

Seeing this as their chance, Link and Zelda charged him, both of them drawing their swords and focusing in on him. The demon lord grinned as they both came at him. Link was the first to strike, attempting to thrust his sword through the chest of the demon lord. Ghirahim raised his large broadsword, which he wielded with only one hand, as well as the grace of a rapier, and deflected the blow with ease. He also saw Zelda charging in, hoping to assist Link in the fight. Link saw her charge and, seeing Ghirahim's grin, realized that the demon lord was hoping for this rash action. "No, wait!" he cried over to Zelda.

Zelda heard Link's cry too late, though, as Ghirahim performed a side kick that struck the hero in the chest and sent him flying a few feet away. Link landed on his back but was quick to flip and rise to the ground, ready to continue the fight. Ghirahim had other plans, though, as he raised his left hand and caught Zelda's blade with two fingers. He then produced a red energy field around his broadsword and slapped Zelda in the side with the flat of the blade. Red energy sparks immediately arced across her body as she gave a cry as she felt all of her strength drain from her. Link quickly charged in towards her, his sword held high as he went to free her from Ghirahim's grasp. The demon lord, however, merely smiled and said, "Not this time." He then drew out what looked to be a nut and threw it to the ground. As soon as it touched the ground, a bright flash erupted as the nut shattered upon impact.

Link reflexively raised his hands to cover his eyes and looked away from the blinding flash as the nut detonated in order to preserve his eyesight. Ghirahim merely smiled and took advantage of the situation by fleeing with the Queen of Hyrule firmly in his grasp. In order to make sure that Eldin did nothing to stop him, he fired another wave of energy at the Light Spirit, sending him flying backwards. While Eldin was not injured by the magical wave, the wave did stun him and he was unable to prevent Ghirahim's escape. Ghirahim then spied Epona, who he realized could allow Link to follow him closely. He magically generated a series of energized daggers and sent them flying towards the horse. The daggers did not score any hits on Epona, but they managed to spook the horse enough to cause her to rear up and neigh. She then ran off towards the exit to the village, seeking to flee from Ghirahim's might.

It did not take Link long to recover from the Deku Nut's detonation, though. He went to leave the spring as Eldin recovered from Ghirahim's attack. He checked the spring for any sign of Epona, but found that the horse was gone. He did not let the lack of a horse bother him as he went to search for the demon lord and Zelda. However, just as he approached the end of the cave, he heard Eldin call to him, "Wait."

He looked back at Eldin, his shock evident on his face. "Are you kidding?" Link blurted. "That demon has Zelda! I have to save her!"

"And how do you suppose you're going to do that?" Eldin asked in an admonishing tone. "You have no magical weapons and Zelda's Light Bow was destroyed. You have no magic so your own bow cannot support the Light Arrows, and the rest of your arsenal is back at your house in Ordon Village. You have nothing that will harm Ghirahim."

"I don't have to destroy him," Link contested. "I just have to save Zelda."

"And how do you intend to save Zelda without destroying Ghirahim?" Eldin countered. He approached the Hylian hero slowly and when he was only a few feet away, stopped and sat down on the ground. "You have to remember your battle against Ganondorf. Ghirahim is much more like him than any other opponent you've faced. He won't give up. His entire existence right now is bent towards reviving his deceased master, and he thinks that Zelda is the key. He won't let her go until she is no longer of any use to him. And then he will kill her."

"That's why I have to go and save her now!" Link declared.

"If you don't have a magical weapon, then you have no chance of beating him," Eldin warned. "And magical weapons have become increasingly rare in Hyrule. If you want to go and defeat Ghirahim, you'll have to go and retrieve the Master Sword from the Sacred Grove."

"By the time I get the Master Sword, it'll be too late! Without Midna and the Twilight Portals, I can't warp between provinces. I have to find Ghirahim now. Do you know where he is?"

Eldin sighed. "I have a good idea where he is likely going, but I have no proof."

"Where?"

"I saw him heading off into the village. The only place I could see him going would be to Death Mountain. That is the only place I can think of that would be close, but also defensible. It's a rocky trail so you won't be able to use Epona, even should you manage to find her again."

"That won't be a problem," Link stated confidently.

"I see. So you plan on going after Ghirahim anyway."

"I am," Link answered.

"Then I shall assist you however I can," Eldin answered. "First, you should know that there _is_ a special, possibly magical, weapon on Death Mountain. It resides inside the Fire Temple which was built deep inside Death Mountain. In order to gain access to it, you'll have to go to Goron City and talk to Darbus. Hopefully, he'll be able to give you a tunic that will allow you to go after this weapon, the Megaton Hammer. I will say that while legend says that it is magical, there is no guarantee that it is, indeed, a magical weapon. It might simply be strong enough to break through magic. Still, it can shake the ground and stun nearby enemies if they are standing on the ground when it hits. It is likely that there is some magic in the hammer. As for when you face Ghirahim, you must be careful in how you face him. Without magic, your options are limited. Your best bet will be to use the fires of Death Mountain to destroy Ghirahim's true form. He is, indeed, a sword so if you destroy the sword, Ghirahim will die, too. It is the only way to ensure the Demon Lord's destruction."

A serious expression crossed Link's face and he nodded in affirmation. Before leaving, though, Link asked one more question. "What else do you know about Ghirahim? Does he have any weaknesses? What are his skills?"

"Ghirahim is a demon lord who prides himself on his strength," Eldin answered. "As such, he has a high view of himself and he looks down on others, particularly mortals. However, he has been defeated by mortals before, so he knows not to underestimate them. Still, he can be highly arrogant at times and will not hesitate to lord his superiority over his opponents. His arrogance is also his greatest weakness. Use it to your own advantage if you can. As for his skills, he is very skilled with the sword. From what I have seen, he has access to a rapier and a broadsword and is likely highly skilled with both. As you saw, he can shoot a wave of energy from his rapier that, while relatively slow, can cause noticeable damage if you take a direct hit from it. As for his broadsword, I don't know if it can shoot a wave of energy. To me, it looks more like it's designed for close combat."

Link nodded. He then turned to leave but before he left, Eldin spoke again. "One last thing."

The Hylian hero turned around and asked, "What is it?"

"You will likely want to call back Epona. Use the blades of Horse Grass near to the entrance to the village. It is in the shape of a horseshoe so you shouldn't miss it."

"Right," Link replied, nodding. "And thank you." He then turned and exited the spring and began his pursuit of Zelda.

The first thing he did was leave the village and search for a blade of Horse Grass. He quickly found one growing right where Eldin said it would be. He stooped down and picked it up. He then blew into it like a grass whistle, playing the song that Ilia had taught him. It was a song that Epona had always responded to. As soon as he was finished playing the familiar notes, he heard a neighing in the distance. Looking out into the field, he saw Epona come rushing towards him. As she approached, she began to slow down, but Link still stepped aside to allow her to arrive without barreling into him. She eventually came to a stop next to Link. The Hylian hero quickly mounted the horse and turned her back towards the village's entrance. With a single spur, Link directed Epona back into the village so he could begin the pursuit of Ghirahim and Zelda.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

Once they went through the entrance, Link guided Epona into the village proper. What greeted him was a scene that he dreaded ever since Ghirahim had managed to escape with Zelda, for a force of Bokoblins appeared to be garrisoning the village. They were going through the buildings and ransacking them, tossing out anyone that they managed to find. So far, only Barnes, a tall man with what looked to be a beer belly, with two tufts of brown hair on the sides of his head, still wearing his welder's mask, had been forced out onto the streets. Still, it was enough for the Bokoblins to have some fun, so a group of them surrounded the hapless bomb maker, their swords held high as they were ready to cleave the unfortunate human in half.

Link quickly came to the man's rescue as he charged towards the Bokoblins, drawing out his bow. Stringing one of his few arrows left to his bow, he let fly at one of the Bokoblins, striking it in the middle of its head, felling him instantly. The Bokoblins immediately turned around and saw Link charging towards them. He had since switched to his sword and was already upon them before the demons could draw their bows or raise their swords to counter them. Link rode over one of them, trampling him into the dirt, killing the unfortunate Bokoblin, while Link took the heads off of two others with a single swing of his sword. The others tried to either kill Link or cut Epona out from under him, but they were quickly overwhelmed by the Hylian hero's superior skill. He cut down two more Bokoblins before the others decided to retreat away from Barnes and try to get into a position to engage Link from range.

While the fighting was going on, Barnes wisely decided that it was a good idea to flee from the scene. He looked for a quick avenue of escape and found it not too far away. There was a clear path to his bomb shop and he wasted no time making a beeline straight for it. A Bokoblin got in his way, intent to slaughter him, only to be shot by Link, who had since redrawn his bow. Another shot killed a second Bokoblin, though this one had been stationed on the roof of the bomb shop. Another few shots later, and the Bokoblins around Barnes's shop were all dead.

With the threat to Barnes and his shop having been dealt with, Link now focused on the rest of the village. The village still seemed to be deserted, likely save for Renado, Luda, Barnes, and whoever was manning the Kakariko Branch of Malo Mart, possibly Malo, himself. He searched for any signs of further Bokoblins and found a couple running towards Renado's house. An arrow shot from the window, though, striking the Bokoblin in the head, felling him instantly. The other Bokoblin entered the house and soon, the sounds of fighting echoed from the house. He heard what seemed to be a female grunt and then a loud cry that could only have come from a Bokoblin. After that, there was nothing but silence. Soon, the door opened and a young human woman with raven black hair and wearing armor came out, a bow drawn with an arrow notched to the string. Link immediately recognized the woman as Ashei, one of the members of Telma's Resistance during the Twilight Invasion. She stepped out of the house and looked around, scanning the village to see if there were any more Bokoblins in it. She immediately saw Link, as well as the signs of the battle, and saw that all of Bokoblins were either dead or in full retreat out of the village. She grinned and nodded towards Link, who returned her own nod. She then went back inside the house and called, "It's all clear outside. They're gone."

She then stepped outside and allowed the two other occupants inside the house to emerge. Out came the familiar forms of Renado and his daughter Luda. Renado was a shaman that resembled a Native American in hair and skin color, as well as in clothing. Luda, his daughter, was a girl of about ten years of age or so. She had the same dark hair, though it was cut short, not quite falling to her shoulders, and darker skin tone that her father had and also wore similar style of clothing as well. Renado and Luda saw Link riding Epona and Luda gave him a friendly smile while Renado gave him a grave nod in greeting.

Ashei went over to the family and a defensive stance. Despite the fact that the Bokoblins were gone, she did not want to take any chances should they return. She did not let her duty stop her from thanking Link, though. "Thanks for the help out here," she told Link as she walked up to him. "I don't know if I would have been able to save everyone on my own."

"Where is everyone?" Link asked.

"We're the only ones left," Renado answered. "We were most fortunate that Ashei was passing through here."

"I was on my way to get some supplies for my father. He said that Ganondorf had returned and that everyone had to be ready to fight when he launched his attack in earnest," Ashei volunteered.

Link gave a shrug. "Ganondorf _has_ returned," he told them gravely. "But that's not why I came here."

"I guess it has something to do with that flamboyant demon guy," Ashei stated plainly.

"It does," Link answered. "His name is Ghirahim."

"He was carrying a woman who I am certain was Queen Zelda," Ashei added, almost as a continuation of her previous statement.

"Do you know where they went?"

"I didn't get a good look, but I think they were headed in the direction of Death Mountain."

"They were," Renado confirmed. "I'm almost certain that the force that was left here was nothing more than a distraction so that we, or rather _you_, would be stuck here and not be able to pursue them."

"That guy's tough," Ashei warned. "I shot him with a bow and arrow and didn't even slow him down. I know I scored a hit since my arrow bounced off of him as if it had bounced off of metal or a shield."

Link nodded, letting them know that he knew just how tough Ghirahim really was. "It's worse since even though this Ghirahim will have the Gorons to contend with, he'll also have the high ground and use his forces to be able to set up defensive positions, possibly outposts if this demon can conjure things like that, which would not surprise me," Renado added.

"If you're looking to go up to challenge him and save Zelda, you'll have to equip yourself for the battle," Luda volunteered. "Barnes is selling his Bomblings once more. He even has a new Bomb Bag that can hold up to twenty Bomblings. Malo Mart is also having a special so you can stock up on arrows and other items that will be of use, too. He even got a new item called Deku Nut. It will undoubtedly help you on your journey."

"But what about the rest of you?" Link asked. "What will happen if the demons come back?"

"I'll stay in town and guard them," Ashei volunteered, stepping forward. "There aren't many people left in the village, so I doubt that the demons will be coming back anytime soon. There's just nothing here for them."

Link nodded and went over to Renado and asked, "Is it okay if I leave Epona here while I go up Death Mountain?"

"Certainly," Renado answered with a kind smile.

"Thank you," Link answered as he went over to the side of the sanctuary and dismounted Epona, allowing her to remain at the post untied.

Once he was done, he went quickly went over to Barnes's shop in order to outfit himself for the upcoming adventure. He entered the shop and found Barnes back at work behind his desk, using a torch of some sort along with a hammer to craft new bombs. As he entered, he heard a bell chime above him, a signal to Barnes that there was a customer. Barnes looked up and saw Link standing before him.

"Well if it isn't the hero who saved us again," he said jovially, raising his mask and putting down his torch and hammer. "How may I be of service? I recently got in this new Bomb Bag, which is just as large as the largest upgrade of the previous Bomb Bag. It can hold up to twenty Bomblings, thirty Water Bombs or Bombchus, a new type of bomb we just got in, or sixty regular bombs. The aforementioned Bombchus are mouse-shaped bombs that crawl along the ground. They can't home in on targets like the Bomblings, but can crawl up walls and all around travel faster than the Bomblings. As mentioned as well, your Bomb Bag can also hold more Bombchus than Bomblings as well. Normally, the Biggest Bomb Bag would cost around two hundred Rupees, but since you got me out of a jam, and I don't want to see that demon guy ever come back, it's on the house. I'll even fill it up with your choice of bomb."

"Thanks," Link answered, not knowing what to say. He had not known Barnes to be this generous before. He then told the bomb maker, "I'll take the Bombchus."

"A good choice," Barnes said as he went over to get the Biggest Bomb Bag and began stuffing it with Bombchus. "There are a number of Bomb Flowers on Death Mountain and in the Death Mountain Crater, so they would suffice for normal bombs. Not only that, but the homing ability of the Bomblings will not be as useful as the ten extra Bombchus you can carry, either."

Link gave a nod, indicating that he understood what Barnes was saying. The same considerations had gone through his mind as well as he chose the Bombchus, rather than any of the other types of bombs that were available.

After a minute or so, Barnes was finished filling the Bomb Bag with the Bombchus. Once he finished, he handed it over to Link, who placed it inside his sack. As Link turned to leave, Barnes called out to him, saying, "Thanks for the save, again. When you run out of bombs, please come back for refills."

Link nodded, giving a smile, as he departed Barnes's shop. As the door closed behind him, Barnes flipped his welding mask back down and went back to work.

Outside, Link proceeded to make his way over to the Kakariko Branch of Malo Mart. When he arrived, he went on in and entered. The interior of the shop was plain, with a single counter near the far wall. Behind the counter, on the wall, though, were various wares from potions to items, to even some weapons like swords and shields. Standing at the counter was his diminutive friend originally from Ordon Village, Malo. Despite his business acumen, pattern of speech, and maturity, Malo was quite young, looking little older than a toddler. He also had very fine brown hair. "Well if it isn't Link," he said almost in surprise. "I had not expected to see you around here for quite a while. I guess things changed when that strange figure came into town, holding who I am guessing is Queen Zelda, am I right?"

Link nodded.

"I suspected as much. Business had actually been pretty good, so I don't need trouble in order to make it boom," Malo began. "However, I guess that you aren't here to simply talk. What can I do for you?"

"Do you have any arrows?" Link asked.

Malo nodded. "I just got them in last week. I haven't sold many of them since there hasn't been that much trouble around here, though that young human woman with black hair, Ashei I think her name was, came here to buy some arrows earlier today. She was nice enough, if a little brusque. She's a lot more valuable than any of those Hyrulean Knights that are supposed to be protecting the queen."

Link could not argue with that. "How many arrows do you have left?"

"A good number," Malo answered. He then looked at the quiver on Link's back. "Judging from the size of your quiver, my guess is that you can hold twenty arrows. They come in packs of ten, for five Rupees for each pack."

That was just as Link remembered. He took out a yellow Rupee, worth ten Rupees, and handed it over to Malo. Malo then handed Link the two bunches of arrows. The Hylian hero then placed them in his quiver and strapped any excess arrows to the side so he would draw them first before drawing any of the arrows from his quiver. Link then turned and prepared to leave. Before leaving, though, Malo called over to him, saying, "Hey Link, we've also got some other new wares here as well. Wares that you could use on your adventure."

Link stopped and turned back to Malo, who was getting something from underneath the desk. After a few moments he pulled out two items and placed them on the counter. He then motioned towards the pouch on the counter. "This pouch contains a special type of nut called a Deku Nut," Malo explained. "These nuts emit a blinding flash of light when thrown to the ground or if they strike an opponent. They also emit a loud snap as well. They can be used to stun and disorient enemies. There are twenty such nuts in this sack. The sack costs twenty Rupees. Do you want it?"

"Yes," Link answered as he went back to the counter. The Hylian then produced a red Rupee, worth twenty Rupees, and handed it over to Malo in exchange for the pouch of Deku Nuts. Once the exchange was made, he placed the pouch on his belt.

After obtaining the Deku Nuts, Malo then added, "The other item we have is the Grappling Hook. It can be used to scale large cliffs and the one I got here has a lot of rope. It will be useful for scaling Death Mountain. It'll cost twenty Rupees. Do you want it?"

Link nodded again and pulled out another Red Rupee. He then handed it over to Malo in exchange for the Grappling Hook. Once Link had received the Grappling Hook, he turned and proceeded to leave. As he left, Malo called out to him, "Good luck against that demon guy, Link."

Link turned back and nodded, giving a confident smile. After that, he turned and proceeded to exit the shop.

Once he had left the shop, his business in Kakariko Village was over. He quickly made his way over to Renado's sanctuary where the shaman and his daughter were seeing to Epona's needs. Once he was sure that Epona was in good hands, he drew out his bow and proceeded to make his way towards the Death Mountain Trail.

Link quickly made his way up the Death Mountain Trail keeping his eyes forward but also opening his other senses to anything that might be out of the ordinary. He studied the cliff walls on either side, knowing that they would be perfect places for Bokoblin archers to ambush him. He also noticed that there were several boulders that were, whether by chance or by intent, strategically located on the path that would allow him to duck behind and get a chance to look ahead to see what was in front of him. So far, there were no Bokoblins stationed on the trail, but he did not want to take any chances.

He ducked behind one of the boulders and scanned the trail. So far, it seemed to be clear of enemies, but he knew that looks could be deceiving. The boulders not only provided him with cover, but could also provide cover for any Bokoblins, or any other monsters in Ghirahim's army, that wanted to launch an ambush. As he continued to scan the area, he thought he spotted a light off in the distance. At first, he thought that it was nothing, possibly a steam vent erupting since he was on a volcano, but the light did not seem to fade. After watching for a few seconds, he thought he could see the light flicker, as if it was a fire. After seeing the flicker, he came to the conclusion that even if it was not fire, that it was something that was not natural. As such, when he emerged from cover, he drew out his bow and strung an arrow to it, ready to take down anyone who was preparing an ambush.

He continued to walk up the mountain, scanning the sides of the cliffs for any sign of Bokoblin or Bulblin archers as he walked. So far, the path was clear of any sign of activity save for that fire. Things changed as he went over to one of the dark red boulders that was lying in Link's path. As he neared it, two Red Bokoblins stepped out and charged at Link, their sword held high. Link dropped his bow and arrow and immediately drew his sword and shield. He raised his shield and caught the first Bokoblin's chop, a loud clang ringing out over the mountain. He caught the second Bokoblin's attack with the flat of his sword, another clang ringing out. He quickly ducked and performed a leg sweep, sweeping the feet out from under the first Bokoblin. The second managed to jump over the sweep, but Link thrust his shield forward and knocked him to the ground. With a single thrust, Link stabbed the first of the fallen Bokoblins in the heart, ensuring that he would never rise again. He then rushed over the second as he was rising and eliminated his threat with a well-placed stab to the chest. After he had dealt with the Bokoblins, he sheathed his sword, went over to pick up his bow and arrow, and continued on his way.

After walking a little longer, he quickly spied some activity on the cliff walls above him. Searching the path in front of him, he found several rocks littering the path that he could crouch behind and use for cover. After ducking behind one of the rocks, he scanned the upper ledges to see if there were any archers lying in wait. Sure enough, he spied two archers glancing down the path, almost as if they had caught a glimpse of him but were uncertain as to whether or not someone had attempted to come up the path. He went to make sure that they would never know the answer to their questions as he took aim with his arrow and drew back his bowstring. He felt the tension in the bow and, feeling that he was already at the max pull, really wished that he had his Hero's Bow. He shook off the thought, realizing that he would have to make do with what he had. As such, he took aim at the first archer, which he could easily make out as a Ghirahim Red Bokoblin, and he let fly with his arrow. His arrow struck true and felled the Bokoblin, the red demon falling back out of sight of Link, an arrow protruding from his chest. The Hylian then lined up a second shot on the second Bokoblin and let fly once more with his arrow. Again, his aim was true and another Bokoblin was felled.

Once the two Bokoblins on the cliff walls were dealt with, Link carefully made his way further up the trail. He kept a sharp eye out for more Bokoblin archers, or even Bulblin archers, should Ganondorf's forces have managed to track him and Zelda to Kakariko Village. He made his way past two more boulders, carefully making certain that there were no Bokoblin forces or other enemies waiting to ambush him. So far, though, the way seemed clear. However, he knew that things were likely to change quickly, and he was not disappointed.

After passing two more boulders and following the trail through a series of gradual curves, he came upon what looked to be an excavated section of the cliff wall. He spied stations on the wall that looked very much like they could house archers. He drew out his shield and proceeded to make his way carefully through this part of the trail. His caution was rewarded as he soon saw an arrow streaking down towards him. Angling his shield, he intercepted the arrow, which bounced off of his Hylian Shield with a clang. He looked up and soon saw around half a dozen archers from various stations pop up, raining arrows upon him.

Spying a boulder not too far away, he dashed to it, heedless of the arrows that were bouncing off of the rocky path mere inches away from his feet, or sailing over his head, missing him by inches or less. He dove behind the boulder and studied the situation. He quickly slung his shield over his back once more and drew out his bow. Stringing an arrow to his bow, he peered out to find the closest Bokoblin archer and was promptly met with a sheet of arrows. He quickly ducked back behind the boulder, using it as his shield against the arrows. The Bokoblins' arrows bounced off of the ground and the boulder. When there was a lull in the shooting, he peered out and took aim at the closest Bokoblin. Once he had lined up a shot, he let fly with his arrow. The arrow sped from his bow and quickly crossed the distance from him to the Bokoblin. The arrow struck the Bokoblin in the center of the head, instantly killing the demon.

Link then ducked behind the boulder as the other remaining Bokoblins opened fire on his position, with predictable results. Link then emerged once again and took down another Bokoblin archer. He repeated the process of peering out and taking down a Bokoblin three more times until all of the Bokoblins that were accosting him were dead.

Once he had cleared the area, he moved forward along the trail. Not too far ahead, he came to a group of eight Bokoblin foot soldiers. These Bokoblins consisted not only of the normal Red Bokoblins, but also of Green and Blue Bokoblins as well. They were all armed with swords and shields, but he also noticed that some of them had quivers of arrows on their backs as well, as well as some of the Green Bokoblins also being armed with war hammers. Link quickly backed away and searched for a boulder to use for cover as he went to deal with these Bokoblins, hoping to take them out without alerting too many other patrols.

He quickly found a boulder and took cover behind it, carefully considering his options. As he did so, he felt the ground shake and he heard an explosion off in the distance. Given the sound, he suspected that it came from the top of the mountain. Looking up, he half expected to see flaming debris rain down upon him and the Bokoblins. Surprisingly, though, nothing of the sort happened. That was when he got an idea and realized that taking down the eight Bokoblins blocking the path up ahead would be a lot easier than he initially thought. He peered out from the boulder and found that the Bokoblins still had not spotted him. He grinned. This would be even easier than he suspected. He ducked back behind the boulder and took out a Bombchu. He then emerged from his cover and placed it on the ground, carefully lining it up with the party of Bokoblins. He then ducked back behind the boulder, not waiting to see if his aim was true. The mouse shaped bomb rolled across the ground, its motor running as it zigzagged its way towards the Bokoblin party. As it began to approach the Bokoblins, they must have heard its motor, for they turned and saw the mouse-like object approaching. They must not have heard of Bombchus before, for they made no attempt to evade the mouse shaped bomb. The leader merely raised his sword and brought it down upon the mouse as soon as it had reached the party. This proved to be a fatal mistake on the Bokoblin's part, for the attempt to bisect the mouse merely caused it to explode. The explosion incinerated the lead Bokoblin and sent the other Bokoblins, or what was left of them, flying in all directions.

After the detonation, Link emerged from his cover and charged up the trail, his sword and shield drawn just in case some of the Bokoblins survived the explosion. As he arrived at the location of the Bokoblin party, he could see their bodies lying all around the trail. Some of them were darkening and they then exploded into a blast of orange light and what looked to be leaves and/or woodchips. He soon made his way among the wounded Bokoblins, or those that were taking longer to die, and gave them quick mercy. After he was finished, he continued up the path, hoping that any other Bokoblins, or anyone else along the path, merely thought of the explosion as an eruption of the volcano or as a steam geyser erupting.

It was not long before Link saw an opening at the end of the trail, indicating that he was getting close to the mountainside, itself. As he approached, though, he heard the numerous hoots and shouts that were likely coming from Bokoblins and other monsters. He also heard some deep grunts and groans that Link suspected belonged to Gorons, rock-like being with large, round, light brown bodies that resembled stones or boulders with a hide of strong, rigid stones on their backsides. Gorons also had small eyes and noticeable lips. Link also heard a scream, though the scream was that of a Bokoblin, rather than a Goron.

He rushed forward, heedless of any potential ambushes, and rushed towards the scene. Once he arrived in the open area near the mountain, he saw what looked to be several outposts full of Bokoblins surrounding the main Goron camp in the main area of the Death Mountain Trail, just outside the mountain, itself. The outposts looked to be nothing more than a collection of tents covered with animal skins. There were torches and cooking pots outside the outposts, though, indicating that they had the Goron camp under siege, something that surprised Link since he thought that the Bokoblins had only arrived on Death Mountain less than an hour ago.

Several explosions rang out, knocking Link out of his reverie and he looked forward, seeing the Bokoblins firing Bomb Arrows into the Goron camp. Link looked at the scene and from the looks of it, it seemed as if the battle had been going on for quite a while. Link saw several Goron tents on fire, with several Gorons fleeing the burning camps. Other Gorons hurled boulders at the Bokoblins in return, but most of those outside the camps were able to avoid them. Still, some were too slow, or clumsy, to escape the boulders and were flattened by them. Two of the Bokoblin outposts were also crushed by the onslaught of Goron boulders, causing significant losses to the Bokoblin attackers. The Bokoblins retaliated with another barrage of Bomb Arrows. The arrows arced through the air and fell among the Gorons. There were no signs that any of the Gorons had been killed by the subsequent explosions but the fact that the Gorons were in retreat, along with some of them carrying their wounded comrades, indicated that they had sustained some casualties from the barrage.

Link was not about to stand by and do nothing, though. Drawing out his bow, he readied an arrow and targeted one of the Bokoblins that was about to fire another Bomb Arrow into the fleeing Gorons. Once he had acquired his target, he let fly with the arrow just as the Bokoblin had lit the Bomb Arrow and was pulling back on his string. The arrow struck the Bokoblin in the back and felled him, the Bokoblin not uttering a sound as he died. The other Bokoblins, however, did not notice that their comrade had died and that he was not going to fire into the ranks of the Gorons. One of the other Bokoblin archers, though, noticed too late that his comrade had fallen and that his bomb was still lit. Before the others could fire their volley of arrows into the Gorons, the Bokoblin gave a shrill cry, warning them about the live bomb. It was too late, though, and the bomb subsequently exploded. The explosion cooked off the rest of the explosive ammunition of the Bokoblin Bomb Archers and a series of explosions tore through the Bokoblin lines. Bodies were flung all over the place and those that were not killed by the explosions turned to try to find out what was going on. That was when Link launched his main assault on their forces.

Emerging from his cover, he went out onto the battlefield and targeted the makeshift Bokoblin outposts. He placed a series of Bombchus on the ground and let them roll towards the outposts and into the lines of the Bokoblins. The Bokoblins heard the motorized sounds of the Bombchus as they approached and turned to find Link placing them on the ground. They did not know what the mice were at first and decided to deal with Link, instead, readying their arrows and drawing back on their strings. They found out all too late the danger posed by the Bombchus as they struck their outposts or as other Bokoblins stepped on them and they exploded, gouging huge holes into the lines of the demonic horde. Flaming debris and the bodies of dead Bokoblins flew all over the place as the Bombchus exploded. The flaming debris rained down on other Bokoblin outposts and set fires in them as well. Some of the outposts stockpiled bombs and when the flames reached them, the outposts exploded, sending up huge plumes of smoke and flame, as well as flinging more flaming debris all throughout the Bokoblin lines. The surviving demons scattered took cover behind still standing outposts and rocks boulders that were located throughout the area, searching everywhere for their attacker, for they knew that the assault came from behind their lines.

They quickly spotted Link, giving massive hoots and hollers as they turned as one and focused on him. As soon as they turned to face him, he placed a few more Bombchus on the ground, allowing them to skitter their way. Once the mouse-shaped bombs were on their way, Link drew out his bow and arrow and fired an arrow at one of the lead Bokoblins, taking him down with one shot. He then fired another arrow, and another, and another, felling three more Bokoblins before the Bombchus arrived at their targets. When the Bombchus made it to the Bokoblin lines, the Bokoblins in the first few ranks were wise enough to step aside and allow the Bombchus to pass. However, the demons in the rear ranks did not see the approaching bombs until it was too late, being too concerned with avoiding Link's arrows, just as he had intended.

The Bombchus quickly made contact with the Bokoblins among the middle and rear ranks of the army and detonated. The explosions tore huge holes in the ranks of the remaining demons, sending Bokoblins, their remains, and other bodies flying. He also saw sets of bones sent flying as well, indicating that he had destroyed some Stalfos, too. Still, scanning the lines, he found that Ghirahim's assaulting army seemed to consist almost solely of Bokoblins, for he did not see any more Stalfos in the army.

The detonations of the Bombchus and the destruction of much of the rear ranks of Bokoblins only caused the rest of the army to give a short pause as they looked back at the rest of their comrades. That short pause was all Link needed to fell four more demonic Bokoblins with precision arrow shots. Once they had refocused their attention back on Link, they charged right for the Hylian hero. Some of the Bokoblins, however, stayed back and decided to use Link's own tactics against him. They drew out their bows and started firing arrows at Link. Their aim was not all that precise, though, and they were a greater danger to their own forces than they were to the Hylian hero, Link's shield protecting him from the few arrows that would have scored a hit on him while several more of the charging Bokoblins were felled by inadvertent friendly fire.

Link, continued to fire more arrows into the Bokoblins, each one taking down a demon, until the horde managed to reach him. Once they were within striking distance, Link dropped his bow and drew his sword and shield. The first Bokoblin, a Green Bokoblin with a war hammer, came at him and raised his hammer high in preparation for a massive blow to Link. Link was far too fast for him, though, and killed him with a single slash. A second Bokoblin, this one having blue skin, went to try to decapitate Link, only to wind up being the latest casualty of the battle. Three Red Bokoblins and a Green Bokoblin then attempted to launch an assault against Link simultaneously. Link could see their attack coming from a good ways off, though, and held his sword out as he prepared to perform a spin attack. He waited for them to come to him and crouched down, an arrow sailing over his head and striking a Bokoblin that had been coming up from behind intending to ambush him. As soon as the Bokoblins had arrived, he spun around, holding his sword out, and cut down each of the four attacking Bokoblins. He was not given a moment to rest, though, as more demons soon rushed to face him. Each of them charged directly towards him, only to be cut down by a single swing of his sword. Bokoblin bodies were piling up for a bit, until each exploded in a flash of orange light and debris that resembled woodchips.

Link surged forward despite the numbers that were arraying themselves against him. He saw several archers launch arrows into the air, hoping to strike him down with a lucky hit. He raised his shield to defend himself and heard a clank as one of the arrows struck the shield. Other arrows either bounced off the rocks around him or imbedded themselves in the ground. Two screams indicated that two of the arrows had scored hits on Bokoblins, leaving two less of the demons for Link to deal with.

Link continued to wade through the horde of Bokoblins that relentlessly assaulted him. With each swing of his sword, another demon fell. The Bokoblins, despite outnumbering him and launching a flurry of attacks on him, were unable to score any hits on the Hylian hero. Link did not have that problem as a single swing of his sword felled two more Bokoblins.

Standing on top of Death Mountain, Ghirahim looked down at the battle below, Zelda lying on the ground unconscious at his side, grimacing in disgust. It was the first effort to revive Demise all over again. The only difference this time was that Link had to get through all of the Bokoblins and not just the leaders, not that that was proving difficult, for Link was cutting down his army with contemptuous ease. "Damn these worthless fools," he seethed. "They outnumber him a hundred or more to one and they can't even land a single hit on him."

For a moment, he considered diverting the forces inside of Death Mountain and Goron City, itself, to try to take down Link. He quickly decided against such a plan, though. He would need everyone he could get to protect him should Link make it through the forces on Death Mountain and in Goron City, a possibility that was looking more likely. His only concern was the possibility of Link gaining any weapon that could actually kill him. He had heard of a special hammer inside of a structure inside of Death Mountain, but had decided to not send any of his forces to look for it since they all seemed to have adverse reactions to the volcano's extreme heat.

He then tore his attention away from the doomed battle below and turned it towards the unconscious Zelda. He gazed at her and grimaced. Trying to draw her soul out of her body so it could be used to revive Demise was proving more difficult than he had initially imagined. And even if he managed to do so, it had been so many generations since Demise had been sealed within the Master Sword. And given the events of the War in the Heavens, he was not even certain that Demise was still sealed within the sword. Still, it was his best chance, and the fact that he was still alive indicated that Demise, himself, still existed in one form or another. As such, he placed her near the entrance to the volcano, itself, but not directly inside since he did not want her to die prematurely. Once she was properly positioned, he began to chant a magical spell in an alien language and perform a dance, waving his arms around and moving around her body. The ritual necessary to get what he needed in order to revive Demise would take a long time, given the situation and the fact that he was at Death Mountain rather than close to the Master Sword, but he felt that this was the best bet for accomplishing his mission.

What Ghirahim did not realize was that the Sorceress Sisters Koume and Kotake were sitting on the broomsticks hovering high above Death Mountain. They watched the battle at the base of the mountain below, not knowing whether to grin or grimace. Watching Link tear through the Bokoblin army was satisfying in a way since it showed that Ghirahim's forces were just as weak, if not weaker, than their lord Ganondorf's minions. Still, there was the issue of it being Link that was humiliating them. They were tempted to launch a surprise magical attack on Link since he was so preoccupied with fighting his way through Ghirahim's army. Remembering Ganondorf's orders, though, they decided against attacking Link. For the life of them, though, they could not understand why their master wanted Link to live through this. In fact, they were under the impression that if Link was ever in real trouble, especially with Zelda being at Ghirahim's mercy, that he would want them to save him and get him out of danger. Such a thought was almost anathema to them. Still, they would obey Ganondorf's directives and would report back to him. They did not even cackle as they spun around on their broomsticks and vanished in a flash of fire and ice, leaving no trace of their ever having been at the mountain.

Back down at the base of the mountain, Link continued to fight his way through the attacking horde. He took down two more Bokoblins with a single swing of his sword and shield bashed another Bokoblin into a slash from one of his comrades. Link danced away from two more Bokoblin slashes and swiftly cut them down with two return slashes of his own. Despite there still being dozens of enemies to fight through, the Hylian hero was making progress against the Bokoblin army and could see an end to the fighting in sight. However, soon, help would arrive for Link and make the job of getting through the remaining Bokoblins far easier.

Link and the Bokoblins soon felt the ground shake and they both backed off, raising their shields in anticipation of a volcanic eruption. However, looking up at the volcano and the steam vents on the side of the mountain, there seemed to be no signs of any imminent eruptions. The source of the rumbling was revealed when several boulders came rolling towards them. The Bokoblins turned and saw the boulders barreling towards them and quickly went to dive out of the way, ignoring Link's sword swings. What happened next shocked the Bokoblins, for as they went to avoid the boulders, the boulders, themselves, swerved and maneuvered in order to track them and roll right on top of them, flattening them into the mountainside. It was then that the Bokoblins realized that the boulders were simply Gorons who were launching their counterattack in support of the one who had come to save them. The Gorons barreled through the ranks of the Bokoblins, flattening them with no hesitation.

Behind them, more Gorons rolled onto the battlefield, turning in order to deal with the remaining Bokoblin outposts. Once they arrived at the outposts, they would uncurl themselves and punch at the tents, using their superior strength to knock down the smaller tents. Some of them went inside of the tents in order to ransack them and gain any weapons that the Bokoblins may have been stockpiling, usually bombs or arrows. The arrows were of little use for the Gorons, but the bombs were very useful weapons, indeed.

As the chaos descended upon the Bokoblin lines, the few Bokoblins that survived the initial onslaught quickly scattered and fled the area hoping to find a safe way off the mountain. Some of them ran into dead ends and were either killed by the Gorons or went to hide in alcoves, only to be burned by steam vents that would eventually erupt from them. Others, however, retreated all the way back to Kakariko Village, only to fall at the hands of Ashei who picked them off from long distance using her own bow and arrow.

Back on the mountain, after the Bokoblins had been routed, the Gorons looked around to make sure that there were no stragglers remaining. Once they were sure that the Bokoblin attackers had been defeated, they formed up near the center of camp. Their leader, a huge Goron wearing a helmet and armor that Link recognized as Dangoro looked over at him and noticed him. Dangoro must have recognized him, for he came over and gave Link a hearty clap on the shoulder that would have felled a lesser man and nearly knocked Link to the ground. "It's been a while, Link, hasn't it?" Dangoro said, greeting the Hylian hero. "I want to thank you again for helping out Darbus six months ago. Also, thanks for the help in dealing with these enemies, whatever they're called."

"Bokoblins," Link answered for the Goron warrior.

"Bokoblins?" Dangoro uttered in astonishment. "I thought that Bokoblins were those imp-like creatures that barely had a brain between eight of them."

"These are a different type of Bokoblin," Link explained. "They're demons that serve a demon lord named Ghirahim."

"We saw a figure leading these 'Bokoblins' but he fled to the top of the mountain before we could reach him. He has set up guards and other enemies as lookouts up there in order to keep us away. We haven't been able to breach his defenses, though we haven't put all that much effort into it, being too busy warding off the main attack."

"Ghirahim has kidnapped Zelda and I need to save her. He intends to revive a demon king named Demise."

"Demise?" Dangoro asked, thinking back on if he had ever heard the name before. "I've never heard of anyone named Demise before. But there are legends of a time long ago when there were more than just Gorons, Zoras, and Hylians inhabiting the surface world. It was said that a demon emerged from a crack in the ground long ago, along with numerous other monsters, but they were beaten by the goddess and her chosen hero."

"That's what Eldin said about them as well," Link replied.

"Then chances are that this Ghirahim is one of Demise's followers, if not his second in command," Dangoro surmised correctly.

"Do any of your legends state if Ghirahim or Demise has a weakness of any kind?" Link asked.

"I don't know," Dangoro answered. "I'm just making guesses from what I've read and heard in passing. Darbus would likely know more."

"Where is he?"

"Up in Goron City on the other side of the mountain," Dangoro answered. He then directed Link to the mountainside. Link saw a small pulley system that was no longer in use. "Those Bokoblins built that system in only a few hours. They seemed to be quite familiar with the mountain, itself, and I'm almost certain they had a magician assist in its building. A group of them are attacking the city and there are lookouts all along the upper trail. My group and I were sent here to try to take some heat off the city and stem the tide of reinforcements that were coming in."

Link's eyes went wide with surprise. "How long have you been under attack?"

"For the better part of a day," Dangoro answered.

Link was surprised to hear that the Bokoblins had been laying siege to the city for so long. Still, there was a chance for respite now that the forces at the base of the mountain had been taken care of. Wasting no time, Link went over to a crate and rolled into it, breaking it open, revealing a bundle of arrows. He quickly put the arrows into his quiver, filling it to capacity, while tying a rope around the excess and strapping them to his belt. Link then rushed off to one of the pulleys. "Where are you going, brother?" Dangoro asked.

"To Goron City to help clear out the rest of the Bokoblins," came the answer.

"What do you want us to do?"

"Whatever you think will be best for the city."

Dangoro then looked around and saw the trail that led down to Kakariko Village and he took aside one of the Gorons. This Goron had tattoos that were unlike those worn by others and he told him, "Goro Car, take half of the brothers and remain here. Make sure that the Bokoblins don't send another wave of troops. Send a messenger up to us should they do so regardless of whether or not you can handle the situation."

"Got it, brother," Goro Car replied.

"The rest of us will head into the mines to make sure that they don't have any presence in them."

"Right, brother," the Gorons stated.

Dangoro then looked over at Link and asked, "Do you think you can help clear out Goron City on your own. If you need any help, we'll be glad to send a few brothers with you."

"I should be able to manage," Link answered.

"Good luck, brother," Dangoro said before he and the others made their way up the mountain by launching each other towards the entrance to the Goron Mines.

Link, meanwhile, made his way over to the pulley system and stepped onto the first pulley, which pulled him up the first cliff wall of the mountain, and to a narrow ledge. He then made his way along the ledge, watching for steam vents. Whenever he approached a vent, he carefully lowered himself so that he would only be grabbing the ledge with his hands. He would then inch his way across the steam vent, using his strength to keep himself from falling. Once he crossed the first vent, he pulled himself back up onto the ledge and proceeded across it until he came to the next pulley. He then stepped onboard and lifted himself up to the next ledge.

Once he reached this ledge, he found that there were a number of Bokoblins of all three colors that hit the ground, hiding themselves from view during the fighting, so as to avoid the Goron counterattack. Once they saw Link, though, they promptly rose and went to engage him. The Green Bokoblins were the first to come at him, raising a massive stone club. The Bokoblin attempted to bring the club down upon Link, but the Hylian raised his shield and a loud clang was heard as the weapon clashed with the shield, the shield not giving an inch. Link retaliated with a stab, which the Green Bokoblin was too slow to avoid.

Once the first Green Bokoblin was felled, another Bokoblin the others quickly came at him. Link ducked the sword swipe of a Red Bokoblin and felled the demon with a single sword swing of his own. He then raised his shield and caught two more sword swipes from the Bokoblins. A single swing later, he bisected the two demons with ease. All that was left of this force were a Red and a Blue Bokoblin. Link charged the two Bokoblins, managing to fell the blue one before the red one pulled out a horn and blew into it. Upon blowing into the horn, Link heard a cry from above. Looking up, he saw almost a dozen Bokoblins appear on the ledge above him. Upon seeing the hero cut down the leader who had summoned them, they drew out bows and began to rain down arrows upon Link.

Link, seeing that he had no cover, raised his shield as he made his way across the ledge, angling it so that he would catch the arrows of the enemy Bokoblins. As he made his way across the ledge, he looked up and looked for a lull in the fire so he could take a shot or two at the Bokoblins. However, the demons were staggering their fire so there were no openings for him to fire off an arrow. Still, he was not without options. Taking a huge risk, he took out a Bombchu and placed it on the ground in front of him close to the wall. The mouse-shaped bomb promptly crawled up the wall as Link quickly raised his shield once more to deflect the incoming arrows, barely avoiding being turned into a Hylian pincushion. Despite the hail of arrows that were landing all around him, not one of them managed to get through his defense and inflict any injury on him.

After a few moments, the Bombchu had scaled the wall and skittered into the ranks of the Bokoblin reinforcements. It came into contact with one of the Bokoblin archers and promptly exploded, sending the Bokoblins flying in all directions. Several Bokoblins were hurled off the wall and down to the base of the mountain below, every bone in their bodies shattering upon impact. Others were merely killed by the explosion, itself, and their fall was unnecessary.

The explosion caused the others to duck back for a moment, fearful that Link would have placed more of the mechanical bombs on the ground. Much to their relief, though, he did not. He did, however, unsling his bow and undid the tie around his excess arrows. Stringing one to his bow, he fired an arrow into the air, hoping for it to arc into the ranks of the Bokoblins. He did not see it land, but he heard a single scream as soon as he saw it disappear over the ridge, indicating that he had scored a hit on one of the remaining Bokoblins.

He then made his way across the ledge to the next pulley, firing a volley of arrow shots towards the Bokoblins in order to keep them pinned down. A couple more screams indicated that he had scored two more hits, but he knew that there would still be Bokoblins to deal with once he got to the ledge. Once he reached the pulley, he activated it and allowed it to carry him to the top ledge. Upon reaching the top ledge, he unslung his bow and fired an arrow at the first of the Bokoblin archers that had turned to face him, rising from the ground upon seeing that Link's volley of arrows had ceased. The other two remaining Bokoblin archers then rose, too, in order to open fire on the hero. Link merely raised his shield and charged towards them, their arrows bouncing off of his shield. Once he arrived at the remaining Bokoblins, he cut them down with two swings of his sword, finishing off the last source of resistance in the area.

Once the area was clear of Bokoblins, he took one last look down the mountain to see if there were any Bokoblins or other monsters that were trailing him in the hopes of ambushing him from behind. Seeing that there were no more monsters, he continued on his way up the mountain, following the trail. As he followed the trail, the sounds of fighting became louder and he could tell that there would be Bokoblin sentries on the lookout for anyone attacking their rear lines. He then quickened his pace, hoping that he would reach Goron City in time to help the Gorons fighting off the Bokoblins.

Meanwhile, back at Hyrule Castle, Koume and Kotake appeared in the throne room of the fortress. Upon seeing that Ganondorf was not present, they went over to a bell and rang it, signaling that they had returned and that they had urgent information for their master. They waited for a few minutes until Ganondorf came out, dressed in light sleeping clothes, along with his consort, Aveil, who was merely clad in a light sleeveless sleeping gown. "What is it?" Ganondorf grunted at the Sorceress Sisters.

"Master, we bring news as to the situation regarding Link and Zelda," they both replied. They then waited for an answer from their master, something that caused the Gerudo King to scowl.

"Well, what is it?" Ganondorf roared, obviously annoyed at the fact that they were not telling him what he wanted to know.

"Link has been seen fighting his way to Death Mountain and Goron City, which has fallen under attack by Ghirahim's forces," Koume answered. "Ghirahim was also seen with Zelda in his grasp. We left as soon as he was beginning some sort of ritual that we were not familiar with."

"So, what does that have to do with me?" he grunted.

"Master, we were able to sense the power that Ghirahim was using and we _did_ recognize the power. It was not all that dissimilar from the power you used before you gained the Triforce of Power. In addition, we sensed a form of life energy, or as close to life energy as one could get with a demon. Master, I believe that he intends to revive someone, quite possibly a demon king of some sort."

Ganondorf grunted but did not seem all that concerned. If anything, he began to grin. "So it's finally beginning," he said in a sinister tone.

"What is, my lord?" Aveil asked.

"The very thing I have waited a long time for, ever since my defeat at the hands of Link," he answered. Turning to Aveil, he told her, "Go back into your chamber Aveil. I have things that I must do now. They are not dangerous, but they are essential to ensuring that the line of Links and Zeldas is broken."

"I understand, master," Aveil answered, bowing. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Ganondorf shook his head. "No. Simply remain here until I return. If our union has produced an heir, I want to ensure that he or she is not placed in any dangerous situations until the time has come."

"I understand," Aveil said, bowing and returning to her chamber.

Once she had returned to her chamber, he admonished Koume and Kotake, "Make sure that nothing happens to her. I am almost certain that our mating will produce an heir, likely a male. Make sure that nothing happens to my heir. Should you be required to assist me, then leave a defense such as two Iron Knuckles, Darknuts, or the Gerudos, themselves, as her protection. After me, _she_ is second in command. Understand?"

"Understood, master," Koume and Kotake answered.

"Good," Ganondorf said sternly. With that, he then vanished from the fortress, leaving Koume and Kotake to run things in his stead until his return.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

Link made his way up the second part of Death Mountain Trail holding up his shield as he scanned the area ahead, looking for any signs of Bokoblin archers or any other type of enemy that he might have to deal with. Just as the trail on the lower part of the mountain was, the trail on this part of the mountain was littered with dark red boulders. Link wondered if the boulders hid any treasures, but did not stop to take the time to use a Bombchu to try to unearth them. Besides, there was a chance that the Bombchus might not have been able to destroy the boulders and he did not want to waste any of the valuable explosives on them. As such, he made his way past each boulder, carefully making scanning his surroundings and keeping his shield ready just in case the Bokoblins attacking the mountain were keeping watch for attackers from the rear.

He was not kept in suspense for long as two Bokoblin archers quickly appeared from behind a boulder, their arrows already being pulled back on their bowstrings. Link quickly spied a boulder next to him and he raised his shield in order to protect himself from the initial volley as he went to duck behind the boulder. A few arrows bounced off his shield as he took cover behind the boulder, the rest either glancing off the rock, sailing either high or wide of his location, or sticking in the ground.

Things changed when there was a lull in the shooting. Peering out, Link saw the Bokoblins lighting some bombs and tying them to arrows. Realizing that the Bokoblins were going to flush him out using Bomb Arrows, Link decided to get the jump on them by readying his own bow and firing an arrow into the group. His first shot caught one of the Bokoblins unawares in the chest. The demon simply stopped tying one of the bombs to the arrows and simply fell over, an arrow protruding from his chest. The other Bokoblins, alerted to Link's presence, turned and faced him, drawing back on their bowstrings as they went to fire a volley of Bomb Arrows his way. Link merely drew out another arrow and notched it to his bow. Before they could fire, he fired on the closest of the Bokoblins, a Green Bokoblin that wore a headband indicating that he was a leader of some sort. The arrow struck the Bokoblin in the chest, felling him with a single hit. The Bokoblin fell backwards and shot his Bomb Arrow into the sky.

Just as the Bokoblin fell back, the bomb that the first Bokoblin had been tying to an arrow exploded and threw up a massive cloud of dirt and debris, as well as flinging the bodies of several of the Bokoblins from its epicenter. Link shielded his eyes as he peered forward to make sure that the Bokoblins were not going to recover too quickly and target him again. He then peered into the sky and saw the Bomb Arrow launched by the lead Green Bokoblin descending a little too close to his position for comfort. He fled in the opposite direction as the surviving Bokoblins rushed after him in hot pursuit, and straight into the path of the falling Bomb Arrow. The Bomb Arrow landed among the unfortunate demons and exploded, felling the rest of the Bokoblins.

After the explosion, Link turned back to see the results of the explosion. He could already see the bodies of most of the Bokoblins darkening before bursting into debris that resembled woodchips or leaves, leaving behind only an orange light which dissipated a second or two later. Two Bokoblins were still alive, though, merely lying on the ground. Not wanting to risk the Bokoblins injuries not being fatal and them waking up and pursuing him from behind, he went over to them and gave them quick mercy, stabbing them once in the chest. He waited for them to explode into debris before moving on.

He continued to make his way up the trail, scanning the area forward to look for any sign of Bokoblins or other enemies. He was only a few steps into his trek when an arrow struck the ground inches from his feet. He immediately crouched and raised his shield as he spied a Green Bokoblin archer standing two dozen yards away from him. Backing a few feet away, he drew out his bow and strung an arrow to it. He took aim at the Bokoblin archer and fired. His arrow leapt from his bow and zeroed in right on the chest of the Bokoblin. The arrow pierced the unarmored skin of the demon, along with its heart, felling him instantly. He then proceeded up the trail, keeping his shield up in order to make sure that he did not blindly walk into an ambush unprotected.

As he continued up the trail, he came across another unit of Bokoblins. This unit consisted of ten such monsters, split up into two Blue Bokoblins, three Green Bokoblins, and five Red Bokoblins. Two of the Bokoblins, a green one and a red one, were armed with bows and arrows. One of the Blue Bokoblins turned and alerted the rest of the group to Link's presence, giving a loud high-pitched cry. This prompted the other Bokoblins to turn and spy Link coming right towards them. Wasting no time, the Bokoblins drew their weapons and charged right towards the hero with the two Bokoblins armed with bows and arrows firing a duo of arrows Link's way.

Link responded by drawing his bow and raising his shield, allowing the arrows to bounce off it with a clank. He then notched an arrow to the bow and pulled back on the string. He then let fly with the arrow at one of the Bokoblin archers before they could each get off a second arrow. The arrow struck true and felled the first Bokoblin archer, an arrow protruding from his skull. The second Bokoblin archer fired towards Link, but he had already danced to the side, using the charging Bokoblins as cover from the archer. The archer did not care, though, and proceeded to fire into the ranks of his own comrades in an attempt to take down the Hylian hero. Unfortunately, all he did was thin the ranks of his own comrades, killing one of the two Blue Bokoblins with his shot. A Red Bokoblin and a Green one immediately broke off and charged back towards the archer, the Green Bokoblin attempting to bring down his club on the head of the wayward archer. The archer, seeing the attack coming, promptly ducked the club swing and held out his bow, using it as a staff in preparation for a fight. He then took a swing at his attacking comrade, who caught his swing on his blade. The return swing was avoided by the Bokoblin archer, who retaliated with a thrust that caught the Green Bokoblin in the lower right portion of the abdomen. The Green Bokoblin let out a shrill cry of pain as the archer's makeshift staff hit the green Bokoblin. Despite the fact that the bow that the archer was using was blunt, the thrust inflicted significant damage and the sound of cracking ribs could be heard. Even so, though, the wound was far from fatal. The Bokoblin archer went to rectify that by drawing a dagger. The archer saw an opening as the Green Bokoblin was reeling from the staff thrust and he thrust his blade into the head of the attacking Green Bokoblin. The wound was fatal and the Green Bokoblin fell to the ground, dead, before bursting into a pile of organic debris that dissipated and was carried off by the wind.

While the wayward archer was dealing with the Green Bokoblin, the Red Bokoblin went on the offensive against the archer. The archer, seeing the Red Bokoblin coming at him, ducked the first sword swing. He responded with a swing from his bow, catching the Red Bokoblin in the ribs. The Red Bokoblin gave a grunt of pain as the sound of breaking bones echoed throughout the mountain. He keeled over for a bit but managed to fight off the pain and still fight, diving out of the way of the archer's knife thrust. The injured Bokoblin fought back the pain as he raised his sword and took an unbalanced slash at the Bokoblin archer. The archer sheathed his dagger and retaliated with a second bow swing. This swing caught the Red Bokoblin in the right ribcage, shattering it and bringing a swift end to the fight, or so he thought. As he slung his bow back over his shoulder, drawing his dagger and standing over the fallen Bokoblin, gloating, the downed Bokoblin fought back the incredible pain he was experiencing and managed to lift his sword, thrusting it with all his strength into the abdomen of the Bokoblin archer. His thrust was true and the blade bit into the Bokoblin archer's flesh. The archer gave a shrill cry of pain and shock as he felt the blade bite into his lower right abdomen. Even though the wound would be fatal, it did not immediately kill him and, thus, he was able to avenge his own demise by thrusting his dagger into the heart of the injured Red Bokoblin. As soon as he had avenged his own impending death, he fell on top of his killer, who had already been reduced to woodchip-like organic debris. As he fell, his own body began to darken as he drew his last breath. After a few seconds, he, too, was reduced to organic debris and an orange flash of light that dissipated a few seconds later.

Meanwhile, during the battle between the two Bokoblins and their 'renegade' archer, Link dealt with the rest of the attacking Bokoblins the same way he had with the countless other demons that he had come across during this adventure. With him having felled the first archer, and two others engaging the second after the second had felled one of the Blue Bokoblins, that left Link with only five Bokoblins to deal with. He suppressed a grin. Given the horde that he had fought through earlier, this would be a cakewalk. He was careful to not grow complacent or arrogant, though. Arrogance killed more men than swords or arrows on the battlefield. As such, he was careful to wait for the five Bokoblins to charge before he made his move. He had already planned out how the battle would hopefully go, though. As they charged, he held out his blade, ready to launch his attack as soon as they opened themselves to attack. They soon entered range and as they went to bring their swords and clubs down on Link, he performed a spin attack. He spun around, turning himself into a whirling dervish of destruction. Three Bokoblins were immediately felled before they could complete their attacks, Link's swing practically bisecting them, while the two remaining Bokoblins held back at the last second and hopped away, seeing Link preparing the spin attack.

The two surviving Bokoblins quickly backed away from Link as he turned to focus on them, examining their options. The dossiers that they had heard about Link indicated that he did have a sense of mercy, but that he would fight to the end to protect his friends and that he showed little mercy to the forces of evil. What made things worse was that he was a friend to the Gorons, the people that they had been ordered to fight. As such, they doubted that if they ran that Link would simply let them abandon the fight. Besides, there would be the opportunity for them to attack him from behind, a risk that the hero would not dare face if he could avoid it. Seeing few other options that did not end in their deaths, they went for broke and held their swords high as they charged the Hylian hero.

Link, for his part, was anticipating their charge and held out his sword and shield as the two Bokoblins rushed him. As soon as they arrived, he waited for them to attack before he would launch his own counterattack. The lead Bokoblin, holding his sword high in the air, promptly attempted to bring it down on the hero's head, only for Link to dance to the left, avoiding his strike while raising his shield to intercept the strike of the second Bokoblin. As soon as the sword strike was about to hit his shield, he thrust his shield forward and bashed the attack back at the Bokoblin. This pushed the demon off balance and gave Link a perfect opening to attack. A quick thrust ended the threat of the second Bokoblin while the first attempted to stab Link from behind. The Hylian sensed the strike coming, though, and turned, raising his shield to intercept the thrust. A single side slash promptly beheaded the Bokoblin demon, causing it to explode into a pile of organic debris along with a flash of orange light. Once the Bokoblin squad had been dealt with, Link continued his way towards Goron City.

As he continued up the trail, he came across sporadic pockets of resistance, but he was easily able to dispatch the Bokoblins that laid in wait. Not too far from the entrance to Goron City, though, he came across a new enemy, or rather, an old familiar enemy but not one that seemed to belong to Ghirahim. Coming towards him were several red four-legged spider-like enemies called a Tektites. These Tektites had red skin with a single red eye in their centers. Link grimaced as the spider-like enemies jumped towards him. He proceeded to charge them and hack his way through them, cleaving them in two with single swings of his sword. However, the Tektites would not be alone for long, for several Ghirahim Bokoblins soon appeared on the scene, careful to stay away from the Tektites and let Link deal with them while they drew out their bows and went to rain arrows into him.

Link, for his part, managed to catch a glimpse of the Bokoblins as they came out to try to take him down. As such, Link knew that he would have to deal with the Tektites as quickly as possible so he would not have to worry about both them and the Bokoblin archers. A single swing from his sword destroyed two of the spider-like monsters, giving him some breathing room for him to deal with the archers. Taking advantage of the distance between him and the next group of Tektites, he quickly drew out his bow and fired an arrow at the Bokoblin archers, hoping to hit one of them. His hopes were fulfilled as he managed to score a direct hit on the closest of the Bokoblin archers, felling him with a single hit. The felling of the Bokoblin archer caused the other three to go to ground for a bit, allowing Link to focus back on the Tektites.

Not bothering to switch back to his sword, Link focused back on the Tektites and opened fire on them. With each arrow he fired, he scored a direct hit on the spider-like enemies, felling a spider with each hit. It was not long before all of the remaining Tektites had been dealt with. Once they were out of the way, he focused back on dealing with the Bokoblins.

The remaining Bokoblins quickly stood back up to reengage Link only to see that he had already dealt with the Tektites. Not wanting to give him time to target them, they each strung an arrow to their bows and fired wildly in his direction. Their wild fire did nothing to worry him, for none of their arrows came anywhere close to hitting him. The same could not be said about Link's return fire. Crouching down on one knee, he took aim at one of the Bokoblins and then let fly with an arrow. The arrow scored a direct hit on the Bokoblin, killing him instantly. The other Bokoblins were not too concerned about their comrade's demise, seeing as they still held a numerical advantage over the Hylian. Still, they did not want to waste this opportunity and quickly notched more arrows to their strings. By the time they had done so, though, Link felled another Bokoblin, leaving only two left.

Now, the remaining Bokoblins were beginning to grow alarmed. They took aim at Link as he rose and moved around, backing away and making himself a difficult target. They fired their arrows, but he soon dove to the ground and was able to avoid their fire. Quickly rising, the Hylian hero readied another arrow and took aim at one of the two remaining demons. With a twang from his bow, he let fly with another arrow, keeping his perfect record as another Bokoblin fell to his fire. As the next to last Bokoblin fell, the remaining Bokoblin was stringing another arrow to his bow, hoping to take down Link before the hero could do the same. Link, for his part, quickly drew another arrow from his quiver and notched it to his bow. As soon as the Bokoblin was ready, he opened fire, just as Link fired his own arrow. Both arrows crossed the distance between the two at the same time. However, Link's arrow was on target and struck the Bokoblin squarely in the chest, while the Bokoblin's aim was off, his arrow whizzing past Link inches away from his head. With the last Bokoblin of this assault force having been dealt with, Link approached the location of the fallen Bokoblins. Seeing some arrows lying on the ground, almost certainly remnant arrows likely taken from the Gorons or other soldiers, he took them and used them to fill his quiver to capacity. Once he was ready, continued up the path, heading towards Goron City.

As he made his way up the path, he encountered two more Tektites, taking them down with single swings of his sword. As soon as he took down the Tektites, he saw two signs off in the distance. Once he arrived, he checked them and saw one sign pointing to the left towards the top of Death Mountain, and the other pointing towards the path that would take him up to Goron City. Following the sign, he continued on the path, taking the trail towards Goron City.

As he approached the city, the sounds of battle were beginning to grow louder. He heard the grunts and groans of Gorons, along with the screams of Bokoblins and other monsters, for he was certain that there were monsters other than Bokoblins in the force attacking Goron City. His first taste of an enemy other than a Bokoblin attacking Goron City, or keeping away any potential assistance, came in the form of a large, segmented worm-like creature called a Moldorm.

As Link was approaching a ring of stones that sat on a square that jutted out from the ground when the head of a Moldorm popped up a few feet in front of him. This one resembled a centipede with multiple blue segments and head with red mandibles and a tail the looked like golden orb. Despite the difference between the Moldorms that appeared in the Gerudo Desert, he suspected that the level of difficulty would not be that different, and he was not disappointed. Once the Moldorm fully emerged from the ground, he easily spotted the orb on its tail, which he quickly realized was the worm, or rather, centipede-like, enemy's weak spot. Rushing over to it, avoiding the snapping mandibles of its head, he slashed at its tail. The segment of its tail then vanished and Link noticed it increase in speed.

He dove out of the way of a second strike and quickly searched for its tail once more, noticing that another golden globe had appeared on the end of the tail. Rushing over to the tail, careful to avoid the bites from the head, he managed to score another hit on the tail, destroying more segments of the Moldorm, but also causing its speed to increase once again.

Link noticed the speed increase as the Moldorm was quick to attack him once again. This time, it almost managed to take his head off, the raising of his shield being the only thing keeping him from being killed. The Moldorm struck the shield and was knocked to the ground, stunned from the hit. Wasting no time, Link rushed around to the tail and slashed at it once more. The Moldorm gave out a shrill cry and then fell to the ground. Its body went dark for a couple of seconds before bursting into organic woodchip-like debris, with an orange light being left behind from the epicenter of the explosion that faded after a couple of seconds.

Link had no time to rest, though, for a team of four Bokoblins rushed out to meet him. Link grimaced as he drew his sword, not wanting to waste any arrows against these creatures. As soon as they emerged from the city and were within sight of the hero, they went for their bows, but Link proved to be too fast for them. He charged towards them, holding up his shield just in case one of them got an arrow off before he arrived, and readied his sword. Once he arrived, he cut down the first Bokoblin before it could even string an arrow to his bow. The other three, seeing that ranged fighting was out of the question, dropped their bows and went to draw their swords. In the time it took for them to do so, Link slew a second Bokoblin. The third and fourth Bokoblin then attempted to cut Link in half. Link intercepted their strikes with his sword and shield. A quick slash promptly felled the third Bokoblin, with a shield bash knocking the final one off balance. The last Bokoblin was promptly disposed of with a single slash from Link's sword. Once he had felled the Bokoblins, he entered the tunnel that led to Goron City.

Inside the city, the sounds of fighting rang out throughout the city and the halls. On every level, Link saw numerous Gorons desperately defending the city, and themselves, from the ceaseless onslaught of Bokoblins. Despite being impossibly outnumbered, the Gorons were still giving a good showing of themselves, with each punch they threw felling at least two Bokoblins. Still, the superior numbers of the Bokoblins were swaying the battle in their favor. While Link did not see any dead Gorons in the city, yet, several were retreating due to an onslaught of arrows being rained down upon them. He also noticed a small ledge suspended over the center of the city by several chains. He also noticed a shiny red ruby sitting on a pedestal on the ledge. What drew his attention to it was the fact that none of the Bokoblins were taking an interest in the shiny jewel. Still, he could not worry about it now. He had a city to save, and he would not let anything distract him from that objective.

He looked over at the ledge and found at least two lines of Bokoblin archers of both the Red and Green type standing at the edge of each level's walkway. They each had their bows drawn and were raining down sheets of arrows upon the Gorons. The Gorons curled themselves into balls for defense, causing the arrows to bounce off of them. They then rolled along the lowest level, crushing all of the Bokoblins that had been attacking them. As some of the Bokoblins went to draw more arrows, one of the Gorons would uncurl itself and toss up a huge barrel with a short fuse on it to the ledge above them. The barrel crushed one of the Bokoblins, a Blue one, and caused a couple more to scatter before they reassumed their positions and went to rain more arrows down upon the Gorons, the one who had tossed the barrel up to the Bokoblins managing to curl up and let the harder and more durable stones on his back absorb the blows. The fuse continued to grow shorter and shorter until it reached the keg and the massive keg exploded.

The explosion blew a huge hole in the Bokoblin line above the Gorons. Bokoblin bodies were flung from the center of the explosion and more were knocked to the ground by its concussion. Others simply dove to the ground to avoid the shrapnel and debris that were flung out by the Powder Keg. This gave the Gorons time to launch more counterattacks of their own. Several Gorons went over to plants that strongly resembled bombs and pulled out their fruits. As they did so, the fuses on the fruits immediately ignited and they tossed them up to the other Bokoblins. The Bomb Flowers detonated immediately upon impact with a Bokoblin. The attack forced more Bokoblins to go to ground in the hopes of avoiding death at the hands of the Goron counterattack. It was then that the voice of Darbus, a huge Goron who was standing at the bottom, leading the Goron defense, cried out, "Pour it on, everyone! Even if we can't hold out forever, we can make sure they pay for this attack in blood!"

His cry rallied the other Gorons and they followed his lead. Several Gorons had large spears, which they hurled up into the air. Most managed to strike the Bokoblins and even penetrate the ranks to strike a Bokoblin behind them as well. A few foolish Bokoblins drew their swords and jumped off the ledge, aiming for Darbus in an attempt to kill him. Darbus saw the attack coming, though, and turned to intercept them. His left hand reached up at grabbed two Bokoblins out of the air and slammed them down to the ground while he punched two more with his right hand, sending their shattered bodies into the mountain wall, where their shattered bones broke into even more pieces. The now organic bags of shattered calcium and organs then fell to the ground, where they promptly disappeared in a non-graphic explosion of leaves, woodchips, and a ball of orange energy.

The Bokoblins on the second and third ledges looked down at the scene in utter horror. The Gorons were putting up far fiercer a fight than they had ever anticipated. Not since the last time they had been awakened had they encountered resistance this strong, and they had taken borderline catastrophic losses then, too. With the losses they had sustained here, and likely with the assault down on the mountain, especially with the reports that the Hylian hero, Link, was coming up to face them, this was it. They were all that was left of Ghirahim's army save for some Stalfos, Lizalfos, and a platoon of Moblins. If they failed here, then it could very well be all over. As such, a Blue Bokoblin wizard, a new Bokoblin that had not been utilized during the attempt to revive Demise, who wore a wizard's hat and robe, ducked back and began chanting a spell. The Bokoblins promptly drew more arrows and noticed orange, blue, and dark purple glows around their arrows. When they saw the glows, they grinned, for they realized the their shaman leader was bestowing them with Fire, Ice, and Dark Arrows. Once the heads of their arrows began to glow, they peered over the edges and looked down into the lowest level of the city once more, grinning. Soon, the threat of the Gorons would be destroyed. They then drew back on their strings and prepared to rain down magical arrows upon the Gorons.

Meanwhile, up on the highest level of the city, Link wasted no time coming to the defense of the Gorons. Even before the shaman began to cast the spell on the Bokoblin weapons, Link raced forward, placing several Bombchus on the ground. The Bombchus skittered towards the Bokoblin archers and detonated immediately upon touching the demons. The explosions destroyed groups of the demons while hurling others through the air, to the ground, with some even being flung over the edge to meet their end by falling to the next level below, sometimes surviving by falling on top of another Bokoblin only to be killed by his comrades reflexively stabbing anything next to them that they were not expecting, hoping that it would be Link or another hero that they killed.

After the initial wave of Bombchus, Link drew out his bow and fired off arrow after arrow at the Bokoblins on the same level he was on. Shot after shot felled Bokoblins, but he knew that he would have to clear each level the hard way, so he realized that he would have to plan his attack if he was going to help the Gorons.

As he was about to go, he noticed the Bokoblin leader begin to chant in an unknown language. Fearing that he was about to cast a spell, he went over and targeted the shaman with an arrow. He pulled back on his string and let fly with the arrow. The arrow leapt from his bow and crossed the distance between him and the Bokoblin wizard nearly instantaneously. However, the wizard was quick, for he reached up with his left hand and grabbed the arrow out of the sky. He then gripped it with both hands and snapped it in half. Link knew what came next as he retreated from the wizard's sight just before a bolt of lightning leapt from the wizard's fingertips. The bolt missed Link by inches, but managed to fry a group of Bokoblins that were coming to attack Link and reinforce the holes in their lines.

As for the other Bokoblins, upon realizing that they were being attacked from behind, they all refocused their attention towards the upper level of the city. As one they turned and pulled back on their bowstrings. They then unleashed a sheet of arrows towards Link, who quickly found an alcove and ducked into it in order to avoid the arrows. A rain of magical arrows fell upon the upper level and while Link had managed to find relative safety as he came to a set of stairs, the Bokoblins on the top level were not so lucky. The rain of Fire, Ice, and Dark Arrows fell into their ranks and exploded, setting some ablaze, those that were not instantly reduced to ashes, freezing others, and yet, others seemingly being sucked into magical vortices and being utterly torn apart, screaming as they died. Had Link witnessed the attack, he would have grinned, for the lower levels of the Bokoblins had done his work for him.

On the stairwell that led to the lower levels of the city, Link found three enemies that he recognized as being Stalfos standing on a landing. These Stalfos were simply armed with two swords, so Link knew that he would be able to get through their defenses with bombs. Knowing that he would need explosives to deal with them, and not wanting to waste any of his own Bombchus, he grabbed a Bomb Flower that was growing next to him and tossed it towards the lead Stalfos. The Bomb Flower struck the Stalfos in the chest and detonated, blowing apart the skeleton. Two more Stalfos then proceeded to charge Link. Link immediately drew his sword and shield and counter-charged the Stalfos.

He began his attack by thrusting his sword towards the lead Stalfos, scoring a direct hit on the monster, cutting one of its ribs, causing it to fall, which caused the first Stalfos to back off a bit. The second Stalfos responded by attempting a thrust of its own only for Link to catch the blade with his shield. He then thrust his shield forward and knocked the Stalfos off balance. While the skeleton was vulnerable, Link performed a side slash and cut the skeleton in half, causing it to collapse into a pile of bones. Before he could go and grab a Bomb Flower in order to finish off the Stalfos, though, the first one came back, hacking and slashing at Link. Link caught each blow with his shield and countered with a stab, breaking another rib. He then performed a vertical slash as the Stalfos was about to attack and cut off one of the Stalfos's arms. The Stalfos recoiled in shock, giving Link an opening for him to attack it and fell it with another slash. His subsequent attack took down the Stalfos, whose remains landed practically on top of the first of the fallen Stalfos, whose remains were vibrating, as if it was about to reassemble itself. To prevent that from happening, Link went over to the nearest Bomb Flower, which was growing on the wall at the top of the stairs, and plucked it. He then rushed down the stairs and threw it on the pile of bones that littered the landing. There, he waited anxiously as he saw the bones beginning to pull towards each other as the fuse on the bomb got shorter and shorter. After a few moments, the first Stalfos had almost reassembled itself when the bomb exploded, destroying the two Stalfos for good. Without any further resistance on the stairs, Link traveled down the stairs.

As he walked down the stairs, he saw a fork in the path. One path led to the second floor, while the other went into another room. Wanting to make sure that there were no other enemies or sources for reinforcements, Link took the second path in front of him and climbed a series of stairs towards a room that was full of lava. He looked across the lava and found a blue block with a symbol that looked to have an eye on it, but he saw no signs of any Bokoblins or any other enemies for him to deal with. With nothing to do in this room, he traveled back down the steps and turned to his right in order to reach the second floor, and deal with the Bokoblins infesting it.

As he emerged from the stairway, he quickly found the line of Bokoblins firing on the Gorons below. This time, he noticed that there was only one rank of Bokoblins for him to deal with. Wanting to get the drop on them, as well as get the attention of the Bokoblins on the level below, he charged towards them and performed a spin attack, taking down three Bokoblins. The dead Bokoblins gave cries as Link cut them and knocked their bodies to the level below. The others turned towards him and readied their bows, targeting the Hylian hero. Strategically positioning himself near the stairwell, he made his way back towards it as the Bokoblins on the second level charged towards him, while those on the first level fired up to the second level in an attempt to kill him.

Just as had happened before, the Bokoblins on the lower level fired into the second level, not managing to score any hits on Link, but doing an awful lot of damage to their own comrades. Bokoblins on the second level were incinerated, frozen into blocks of ice, and torn apart by magical vortices generated by the magical arrows. When all was said and done, there were very few Bokoblins left on the second level. Link heard the cries of the Bokoblins, as well as the screams of rage one level below him as the Bokoblins realized that all they had done was wipe out their own comrades in an attempt to take down the Hylian hero. Link then drew his bow and emerged onto the second level ledge, shooting down any Bokoblin that was within sight of him, the Bokoblins on the lower level not daring to fire up at the hero for fear of hitting more of their own comrades. That of course, caused them to focus on the Gorons below, who were launching attacks of their own on the Bokoblins on the first ledge.

As for Link, he quickly made his way around the ledge in search for the next set of stairs that would take him to the first ledge, and to the remaining Bokoblins. A few surviving Bokoblins attempted to shoot him with magical arrows, but the hero managed to avoid them easily enough, and take them down with his own arrows. It did not take Link long for him to spot the stairwell that would take him down to the next level. He ducked into the stairwell and then proceeded down the stairs, felling two Bokoblin swordsmen from afar before continuing.

As soon as he had made it down to the next level, he emerged onto the level to find that there were few Bokoblins remaining, the rest already having been dealt with by the Gorons. Even now, there were Gorons coming through one of the entrances to the level, rolling into Bokoblins, crushing them, and others simply punching aside the evil demons. Most of the Bokoblins had decided that they had had enough of the fighting and turned to run, only to be felled by either Link or the pursuing Gorons. Only one Bokoblin stood against the tide of heroic soldiers coming his way: the Bokoblin wizard.

The wizard chanted a spell and prepared to unleash a blast of ice towards the Gorons when he sensed danger coming from behind. He turned and saw Link rushing towards him, his sword held high. The Bokoblin wizard scoffed and drew out a staff whose head was already glowing a bright blue. The wizard pointed the staff at Link and fired a blue pulse of energy. Link darted to the side and allowed the ball of energy to sail past him. The ball eventually struck a wall a ways away and a circular sheet of ice formed on the wall, expanding from the center of the ball. When it was finished, the sheet of ice had a radius of five meters. The Bokoblin merely grimaced while Link breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that if he had been hit by that blast, that he would have been frozen solid and likely shattered by the wizard.

Link then drew out his bow and went to fire an arrow at the Bokoblin wizard. He drew back on his bowstring and fired the arrow at the wizard. Much as he expected, the arrow bounced off of a shield erected by the wizard. However, he had other plans, for he had just plucked the fruit of a Bomb Flower. He tossed it over to the wizard, who directed his shield above him in order to intercept the Bomb Flower. Sure enough, the Bomb Flower arced towards the wizard and the shield intercepted it, prompting it to detonate prematurely. However, Link was not finished. Just after tossing the Bomb Flower, he fired another arrow at the wizard. The wizard was too fast, though, and caught the arrow, laughing. "You'll have to do better than that," he mocked.

What he had not noticed, though, was the fact that Link had just placed a Bombchu on the ground and that it was skittering towards him, the battle cries of the Gorons drowning out the sound of the Bombchu's motor. The wizard broke the arrow and prepared to mock Link once more when he saw the Bombchu touch his foot. He then realized all too late that the first two attacks were merely decoys for the Bombchu. He only realized his folly as the Bombchu exploded and incinerated him in the blast. After the flames from the explosion and its blast wave had dissipated, there was nothing left of the Bokoblin wizard except ashes and dust.

Upon seeing their leader get destroyed by Link's Bombchu, the few surviving Bokoblins realized that there was no way that they would be able to destroy the Gorons, or defeat Link. They quickly decided that the best course of action would be to retreat and inform Ghirahim of the situation. Perhaps he could defeat Link where they had failed. As such, the surviving Bokoblins bid a hasty retreat, making their way up the stairwells, not bothering to accost Link as they fled, and proceed to the tunnel that led to the exit of Goron City so they could report to Ghirahim up at the top of Death Mountain, hoping to survive the volcano's eruptions in the process.

Back in the city, Link made his way down to the bottom level of the city. There, Darbus stood, along with the four Goron elders, Gor Coron Gor Amoto, Gor Ebizo, and Gor Liggs. Each Goron looked true to his rank, and age, with Gor Coron having gray hair but looking younger than the other elders, Gor Amoto being hunched over, Gor Ebizo having long gray hair, and Gor Liggs's body being decorated with a variety of tattoos. Before approaching them, Link scanned the lower floor and found that it was smaller than he had initially expected. Aside from the alcove that led to the stairwell, there were only two other doors: one leading to a shop and another leading to a secret area, for Darbus was currently standing close to it.

As Link approached the four Gorons, Darbus approached him slowly and said with apparent difficulty, "Thank you for your help, Link. This is the second time you have helped us. I don't know if we would have beaten the demons back if it were not for your help, and if we did, it would most certainly have been more costly than it was. We are in your debt. How may we be of help?"

"Have you seen Queen Zelda or a mysterious human-like figure with white and gray skin called Ghirahim around here?"

The elders looked at one another and shook their heads. One of the other Gorons, a normal Goron warrior, however, came over and answered, "I saw a guy that fits your description during the fighting."

"Where was he?" Link asked excitedly.

"He was at the top level of the city," he answered. "He left just as the attack began. I think he went in the direction of Death Mountain Crater."

Link proceeded to head towards the stairwell that would take him to the exit when Darbus called over to him, booming, "Where do you think you're going tiny human?"

"I have to rescue Zelda!" Link answered.

"And how do you think you'll do that?" Darbus retorted. "I might not have a lot of magic, but the Goron's Ruby, the stone on the top ledge at the top of the city, reacted strangely during the start of the battle, but returned to normal later on. Chances are that it was that Ghirahim guy you were talking about. If Goron's Ruby reacted like that to the Bokoblin's true leader, then chances are that he has some powerful magic at his disposal."

Link could not deny that and he gave a sigh. "Do you have any other ideas? If he manages to complete a ritual with Zelda, he'll be able to revive his master, a demon king named Demise."

"Actually we do," Darbus answered. He went over to one of the doors and opened it. He then told Link, "Follow me."

Link did as he was bid and followed Darbus into the room. The room was furnished with a luxurious red carpet and had a table in the center, along with a few benches. As soon as they were both in the room, Darbus instructed Link, "Wait here."

Link did so as the Goron patriarch went over to a stone closet and rummaged through it. As Link waited, he could hear Darbus muttering, "Where is it? I know it's in here somewhere. Ah, here it is," he finally said in victory as he pulled out a large treasure chest.

"You'll need more than a simple sword and shield in order to take down that demon guy, Ghirahim was it?" Darbus said, motioning towards the chest. "You'll need a special weapon to beat someone like that. This weapon will help you do just that."

Darbus opened the treasure chest and took out a large, silver hammer. "You may be a good swordfighter, but from what I've heard, this Ghirahim is tough and since he's a demon lord, he's resilient to many weapons. Still, he's not invulnerable. The hammer I'm holding is the Megaton Hammer. This weapon is said to have defeated the dragon Volvagia. If anything can beat this Ghirahim, this weapon can."

"Do you think that the Megaton Hammer will be enough?"

"I can't say for sure," Darbus told him. "Chances are that since he's a demon of some sort, you'll need a magical weapon, or at least a very strong weapon, in order to damage him. It is unknown if the Megaton Hammer is, indeed, a magical weapon, but it having been used in the defeat of Volvagia in the past indicates that if it isn't magical, it's still very powerful."

"Eldin says that Ghirahim is the spirit of the sword of a demon king known as Demise," Link volunteered.

"Demise?" Darbus said thoughtfully, putting his finger to his chin. "Can't say I've heard of him. Still, he sounds formidable. The Megaton Hammer will probably be your best bet for beating him. Still, even if it, in and of itself, is unable to destroy this Ghirahim, chances are it will allow you to be the agent of his demise. The lava in Death Mountain is exceedingly hot and may even have magical properties. If you push that demon lord into the lava inside the volcano, it just might be enough to kill him."

Link nodded. Before leaving, though, he turned to Darbus and said, "Thank you for the hammer and the advice."

"Before you go up to the crater, itself, you'll want to equip yourself with a Giant Shield. They're heavy and not really useful for humans in battle, but you'll be able to use it to protect yourself from any eruptions on Death Mountain. Death Mountain erupts a lot and it often sends down fiery debris onto the mountain. The Giant Shield will protect you from them. After an eruption, just turtle up and wait out the fallout. They're on sale in the Goron Shop, but you can get one for free with this voucher."

He then produced a piece of paper and handed it over to Link. The Hylian took it and thanked the Goron patriarch and proceeded to exit the room. Once he left, he promptly headed over to the Goron Shop and entered it. Inside, he saw a Goron sitting behind the counter, along with shelves containing potions, bombs, and arrows. One of the shelves contained the Giant Shield that Darbus had told him about. When the shop proprietor saw Link, he said, "Well if it isn't the hero who helped us out not only six months ago but also now. How may I be of service to you?"

"Can I have a look at the Giant Shield?" Link asked.

"Sure," the proprietor answered. He then went over and took the shield off the shelf and presented it to Link. "The shield would normally cost three hundred Rupees, but I'll give it to you for fifty, unless you have a voucher, in which case, it's free."

Link presented the shopkeeper with the voucher and the shopkeeper handed over the shield. Once Link equipped the shield and slung it over his back, the shopkeeper asked, "Is there anything else I can get for you?"

Link answered in the affirmative and proceeded to buy some arrows and fill his quiver to capacity, along with some Bombchus in order to fill his current bomb bag to its full capacity, too. He wanted to make sure that he was fully equipped for the upcoming fight against the demon lord.

After receiving the arrows and Bombchus, the shopkeeper asked if there was anything else Link needed. When Link answered no, the shopkeeper told him, "Thank you for your patronage. Please come again if you are in need of any wares. We may even be getting in some new wares in the future so check back often."

Link nodded and then departed the shop. Before heading out, Link made one last check of his supplies. Once he was certain that he had everything he would need for his upcoming battle, he made his way over to the stairwell and climbed the stairs, retracing his steps to the city's exit. Once there, he departed the city and followed the trail up to the top of Death Mountain.

Meanwhile, on top of Death Mountain, Ghirahim was continuing the ritual for his attempt to revive Demise. He had sensed the destruction of his army and the fleeing of the few survivors and he was sick to his stomach. He could scarcely believe that Link had single-handedly turned the tide in the battle for Goron City. Not only that, but he had freed Dangoro to attack his forces in Goron Mines and destroy them as well.

When he saw the remnants of the army that had attacked the Gorons return, he nearly blasted them with magic on the spot. He stopped his ritual for a moment and glared at them. The highest-ranking soldier, a Blue Bokoblin, approached apprehensively and said, "My apologies Lord Ghirahim, but our forces were defeated in Goron City."

"I know," Ghirahim snapped. "And as a result, Link is likely going to be coming here next, too soon for the ritual to be completed. As such, you're going to be the first line of defense against him. Perhaps you'll be able to do something right by actually slowing him down!"

The Bokoblins wanted to argue but Ghirahim's gaze quickly quelled any discontent. They promptly retreated back to their positions, leaving Ghirahim and his two Moblin guards alone. He was about to get back to the ritual when he sensed a dark power in the air. For a moment, he thought it felt familiar and wondered if, somehow, Demise had been revived. His answer quickly came, though, when he saw a lone figure walking towards him. The figure was humanoid with green skin, orange hair, and wearing black armor. The figure of Ganondorf casually approached Ghirahim, who was almost in complete shock that someone other than Link had made it past his defenses. And yet, he could not shake the feeling that he felt something familiar emanate from this foe. "Who are you?" he demanded.

Ganondorf merely grinned. "I am Ganondorf," came the Gerudo King's answer, a little too casually for Ghirahim's liking. "And I have need of Queen Zelda."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

Ghirahim looked over at Ganondorf as the Gerudo King strode forward, a confident grin on his face. "Please give me your captive," Ganondorf requested, though Ghirahim did not know if it was a legitimate request or merely Ganondorf mocking him. "You can have her back once I am finished with her."

Ghirahim seethed at the Gerudo King's casual demeanor, but did not want to risk engaging him in battle just yet. "And why do you need her? I am in the middle of something here and she is essential for my goals."

"I won't need her for long," Ganondorf responded. "And as I said before, when I'm finished with her, you can have her back and complete your ritual. I will say, though, that you might be surprised by the results of the ritual."

"And why would that be?" Ghirahim asked. "And what makes you think you know what ritual I'm performing?"

"I know that you're trying to revive your master, Demise. Do you really think that using Zelda's soul will revive a demon who is sealed within a sword, particularly the Master Sword?"

"With Zelda's soul and the Triforce of Wisdom, I can use myself, who contains a piece of the essence of my master, to bring him back into this world. Then we can go to wherever the Master Sword is and draw out the rest of my master from it. With Zelda's Triforce of Wisdom in my possession, along with Link's Triforce of Courage once I kill him and take it, I will be able to draw the rest of my master's consciousness from the Master Sword and my master will be whole once more."

Ganondorf threw back his head and laughed at Ghirahim's stated plan. The demon lord looked at the Gerudo King quizzically. "Why are you laughing? What's so funny?"

Ganondorf immediately stopped laughing and grinned at the demon lord. "Your plan," he answered.

"My plan?" Ghirahim echoed, not understanding what Ganondorf meant. "What do you mean, 'my plan'?"

"Your plan is doomed to failure," the Gerudo King explained. "The Master Sword was designed specifically to destroy evil and has the power to repel magic and evil. It can even repel the power of the Triforce. There is no way you will be able to draw Demise out of the Master Sword unless you manage to either destroy it, or destroy its power to repel evil, and if either thing happens, then Demise will simply be able to revive himself with little additional power input from you."

"And how do you know so much about…?" but Ghirahim stopped as something dawned on him. Ever since he had seen Ganondorf appear before him, he had sensed something strange, yet also familiar from the man. As he had continued to talk with the Gerudo King, he was more certain than ever of the theory that had entered his mind. "I see," he said with a smirk. "When Demise was defeated by the Link of the past, so long ago, he cast a curse on him and Zelda before dying. An incarnation of his hatred would follow their descendants throughout time, never leaving them in peace." He then focused his gaze on Ganondorf. "_You_ are the incarnation of my master's hatred!"

"If that were the case, then you would be handing Zelda over to me right now," Ganondorf commented. He then waited for Ghirahim's reaction. As he had expected, the demon lord merely scoffed.

"You are merely an incarnation of my master's hatred, not my master, himself," Ghirahim countered.

Ganondorf merely grinned. "You're right. I'm _not_ Demise. I'm not a loser that was surpassed by his own weapon. I am far more powerful than he could ever dream of being. Still, that has not stopped the curse from taking its toll. Ever since I briefly encountered the Link known as the Hero of Time, I have been trapped in this endless cycle set about by your master out of spite for losing to a mortal Hylian so long ago. I was not the first incarnation of Demise's hatred either. I know of at least one other incarnation of his hatred, a sorcerer called Vaati. Unfortunately, Vaati was sealed within the Four Sword and his ability to spread misery and destruction was sealed along with him. As such, the curse passed on to another unfortunate soul. That is when I was eventually chosen, for I had intended to take over Hyrule, but I was stopped when Princess Zelda and a boy named Link, who was called the Hero of Time by some, due to the fact that he went into an alternate future and defeated that alternate me, saving the kingdom in the process, told the King of Hyrule of my treachery. It was then that my forces and I went for broke and attacked Hyrule Castle Town in the hope of getting the Triforce. Unfortunately, we were beaten and I was scheduled to be executed. The execution failed and I was sealed away, for a time. I tried again, and nearly succeeded, but was beaten again. I should have been killed, but I survived, at first due to a gift from the gods. However, it was also because of the curse that Zelda, the Zelda lying at your feet, survived giving all of her life energy to heal Midna. That is why I was revived after being stabbed by the Master Sword when it was withdrawn from my heart. But now I'm back, and I intend to achieve my objective."

Ghirahim listened to Ganondorf speak and once the Gerudo King was finished, it was his turn to laugh. "Ha ha ha ha ha," he laughed scornfully. "So for all this talk of how my master was nothing more than a demon surpassed by his own weapon, you're nothing more than a loser who can't beat a teenaged Hylian with no magical power to speak of. You're pathetic!"

"Not as pathetic as someone who can't beat the same teenager despite the fact that said teenager doesn't even have a weapon capable of hurting him," Ganondorf retorted with a derisive laugh which cut right at the heart and ego of Ghirahim. "He doesn't even have the Master Sword on him and you had the opportunity to kill him twice, yet you failed to do so. Your army is in tatters and Link is undoubtedly on his way here right now. Tell me, how do you intend to defeat him?"

"With my true power," Ghirahim answered. "And there is still the issue of how you intend to break the curse my master Demise placed on you, as well as why. After all, you were spared death due to the curse, and my master is currently sealed. The only way you could undo the curse would be to gain the complete Triforce, and even then, you in order to ensure that the curse would not be recast, you would…" his voice trailed off as he saw Ganondorf's lips curl into an evil grin. "You can't possibly think you can do it," he said distantly.

"Why not?" the Gerudo King retorted. "Link managed to beat him with just the Master Sword and no magic. I have other gifts and a magic sword of my own." He then drew the Sages Sword and held the glowing blade out in front of him. "And as you know, before I can break the curse with the Triforce, I'll need to make sure that Demise is destroyed so he can't just place the curse on me again, or on someone else and draw me back into it." His gaze then narrowed on Ghirahim. "Stand aside, Ghirahim. I need Zelda. Once I have what I need from her, you can continue with your ritual in your foolish attempt to revive a demon that is still trapped within a sword. I will give you one piece of advice, though," Ganondorf added, holding up one finger. "If you want your mission to be successful, you'll step aside and let me have Zelda for the brief time that I need her."

"Never!" Ghirahim roared. As he gave his roar there was a flash and, for a moment, his true form, that of a large black sword that was significantly larger than the Master Sword, particularly in width, appeared. The blade also had numerous prongs or teeth on each side and a dark red aura surrounding it. It also had a red jewel on its hilt and an upside down Triforce symbol. As Ghirahim flashed his true form, the sword appeared to be upside down. Ghirahim then roared at the top of his lungs, "I will never surrender Zelda to you and allow you to touch my master. You are an incarnation of his hatred and will. You should be subservient to him! I will make you pay for your insolence. You are nothing compared to my master! And if, as you say, I have surpassed him, you are nothing to me! Now see my true form!"

Ghirahim crouched and began to grunt and groan. The grunt began to rise in pitch and volume until it became a scream. As he screamed, a flame appeared around him that soon turned pitch black. Soon, his entire body was enveloped by the black flame. This continued for several moments until the flame eventually died down and his true humanoid form was revealed, revealing him to be significantly different from his previous form. His skin tone was far darker and his hair became shorter. A gray jewel appeared on his chest and his eyes were pale white with another, smaller, gray jewel appearing on his forehead. White diamond shaped patterns and outlines appeared on his now dark brown to bronze skin. As soon as the transformation was completed, he stood erect and walked forward towards the Gerudo King.

"You are nothing compared to the power of a true demon, make that, the weapon of a demon king!" Ghirahim cried in rage. "When I am through with you, the only thing you will hear is the shrill sound of your own screams!" With that, Ghirahim charged the Gerudo King.

Ganondorf, for his part, simply grinned and allowed the demon lord to approach him. As Ghirahim charged, a rapier appeared in his right hand. Once he was close enough, he raised the sword and slashed downward, intending to bring it down onto the head of the Gerudo King. Ganondorf jumped away at the last minute with surprising speed and agility, causing Ghirahim to strike nothing but air. Still, Ganondorf did not attempt to counterattack, not yet.

Ghirahim then charged the Gerudo King once more and performed a flurry of strikes and thrusts against Ganondorf. The Gerudo King raised his sword and intercepted or avoided each and every one of the blows, blocking some, parrying others, or simply swaying out of their path. Once Ghirahim had performed the last thrust, Ganondorf retaliated with a side kick to the chest. The force of the kick sent Ghirahim flying through the air. He landed on his back several feet away and skidded along the ground, eventually coming to a stop. While the kick did not inflict any damage, the demon lord was still surprised at the power of the Gerudo King's physical attack. He rose and gave a smirk.

"Indeed you are powerful," he admitted falsely, stroking Ganondorf's ego. "But it will take more than that to defeat me."

A red glow then surrounded the demon lord's hands and a group of diamonds, surrounded by a red aura, were conjured into the air and revolved around Ghirahim. He after spreading out his arms and putting them in a circle, he thrust them forward and shot the sharp diamonds towards Ganondorf. The Gerudo King raised his sword and effortlessly deflected them with well-timed swings. Each diamond was sent either veering off course, or was sent back to Ghirahim, himself. As soon as they touched the ground, they stuck in it, bursting into a magical red flame a few seconds later, instantly being consumed by said fire, that is, all but one dagger. The last diamond that was sent Ganondorf's way was caught by the Gerudo King in his left hand. Using his power, he negated the spell surrounding the diamond and caused a golden glow to emanate around the small object. It immediately elongated, transforming into what looked to be a cross between a dagger and a needle. The Gerudo King looked at Ghirahim and grinned. "Thank you," he told the demon lord. "I forgot to bring a needle with me. This should do quite nicely."

He then vanished from Ghirahim's sight and reappeared next to Zelda. The demon lord was too late to see hover over the Queen of Hyrule. Zelda opened her eyes to see her greatest enemy standing over her with his dagger/needle in his hand. As he hovered over her, her Triforce mark began to glow, as did Ganondorf's. "Don't worry Zelda," he told her in a tone of voice that gave her little comfort. "You're no good to me dead just yet. Just the opposite, in fact. I can't have you die here at all."

He then jammed the needle into her arm and pulled back on its handle, causing her to issue a cry of pain. After a few seconds, he withdrew the dagger-like needle and placed it on his belt. Just as he did so, Ghirahim came up from behind and went to attack him, attempting to bring down a massive broadsword on Ganondorf's head. Much to Ghirahim's surprise, though, Ganondorf sensed the attack coming from miles away and instantly turned and caught the broadsword in his left hand. With a single yank, he pulled the sword out of Ghirahim's hand and grabbed him with his right hand. The Gerudo King then picked up the demon lord and slammed him into the ground, the impact forming a crater. He then pulled out his sword and stabbed it into the jewel on Ghirahim's chest. The sword instantly penetrated the jewel and emerged from the demon lord's back. Ghirahim spasmed upwards for a moment before flopping back down onto the ground, a look of shock, pain, and horror on his face. Before gloating over Ghirahim's predicament, Ganondorf turned to see Zelda attempting to flee. He held out his hand and fired a single golden ball of magical energy. The ball instantly crossed the distance between the Gerudo King and the Hyrulean Queen and struck her. Golden sparks of electricity arced across her body as she cried out before falling to the ground, unconscious but alive. It was then that Ganondorf turned back to the demon lord and showed him the Triforce mark on the back of his hand. He then withdrew the blade from Ghirahim's chest and stood over the demon lord.

"Impossible," Ghirahim gagged in between choking gasps. "How can you have the power of the old gods?"

"I received the Triforce of Power a long time ago," Ganondorf answered. "And it has granted me powers that Demise could scarcely dream of."

He then stepped back a few paces and held out his hand. A golden ball of energy formed around it and he leveled his hand towards Ghirahim. He then fired a blast of magical energy towards the demon lord. However, instead of inflicting more damage to the demon lord, or even killing him, the ball of energy had the exact opposite effect. The hole in the jewel on Ghirahim's chest instantly closed and his body looked pristine. He even began to transform back into his normal form with gray and white skin. The demon lord looked at himself and then back at the Gerudo King and asked, "Why?"

"Because you are no threat to me, yet are still of some use to me," Ganondorf answered. "Besides, it's not like you'll actually be able to revive Demise this way. Or if you do go this route, it will take you a lot longer than you expect, if it can even be done at all. Besides, you'll soon have bigger things to worry about, such as the Hylian hero coming to save the Queen of Hyrule."

Ghirahim seethed as Ganondorf walked away, preparing to depart. He had never felt more ashamed than he did now. He could theoretically understand losing to someone with a weapon designed to repel evil. But this Ganondorf, despite having a portion of the power of the old gods, was something far different. He had utterly humiliated him in combat, and to make matters worse, he had not even used a small fraction of his power in doing so. As the Gerudo King was walking away, Ghirahim cried after him, "You're making a mistake, Ganondorf! You should relish the so-called 'curse' that has been placed on you! If by some strange twist of fate, you manage to kill Demise, know that it will be the key to your own destruction, too!"

"I wouldn't worry about that right now if I were you," Ganondorf called back. "I'd be more worried about the fact that the Hero of Twilight is coming for you, and the fact that despite your superhuman durability, you're not indestructible, especially this close to Death Mountain Crater. Link has the spirit of the Hero, and is also highly skilled. You'll need to be at full power and use all of your skills, plus the additional power I gave you, if you want to defeat him once and for all. However, I am a man of my word, and I promised you that you would have Zelda back once I was finished with her." He then motioned towards the unconscious queen, who was beginning to stir. "And so you shall." With that, Ganondorf vanished from Ghirahim's presence, leaving the demon lord to seethe over his defeat.

As soon as Ganondorf left, two Moblins came up the path and appeared before him. "My lord, we heard a commotion up here," one of the Moblins told him. "Is everything alright?"

Ghirahim did not know how to answer the Moblin's question at first. He did not want the Moblins to know that there was a force out there that made him look like an infant child by comparison. His mind raced with what he should do and eventually, he answered, "Yes, I'm fine. However, Zelda's Triforce mark was glowing. I think that her hero is coming. Get to your defensive positions so you can intercept him. We may be few, now, but we have the high ground and the advantage of knowing the land better than he does. Let's use it. It's going to be the best chance we have of beating him."

"Understood, my lord," the Moblin answered.

The two Moblins then departed from him and went to take their positions along with the few remaining survivors of the demon lord's army. As they left, Ghirahim wondered if they could tell that he was lying and that he was anything but alright. He shook off the thought and steeled himself, generating a rapier out of thin air. He would not be caught unawares against Link, and this time, he would not dare underestimate the Hylian hero.

Meanwhile, Link had left Goron City and was making his way up the Death Mountain Trail, lugging his huge Giant Shield on his back. Despite its weight, he felt that the added protection would be worth it should there be any further eruptions on the mountain. And even if there were no more eruptions, it would help immensely against any Bokoblin archers that may have remained on the mountain and were guarding Ghirahim.

When he arrived back at the signpost, he turned to his right and proceeded up a steep incline until he came to a ledge. He climbed the ledge and followed it a ways until he came to a dead end. To his left, through, he saw that the wall had shrunk to the point where he could climb it with no effort. He pulled himself up onto the ledge and followed it up the mountain until he came to its end. Looking around, he saw a long passageway to his right that led to a massive wall. The passageway looked to be made of lava rock and Link stepped out onto the rock cautiously in order to test it to make sure that it was not too hot. It was not and seeing that the path appeared to be safe, he proceeded to run along it, hoping to reach Zelda before Ghirahim could complete his ritual.

As he ran, he studied his surroundings, taking note of the dark red rocks that were littered throughout the path. As he came close to one of the rocks, two humanoid lizards with mace's tied to their tails known as Lizalfos emerged from behind one of the rocks and immediately opened their mouths and breathed a stream of fire towards him. Link immediately dove to his left and avoided the streams of flame as the lizard-like enemies raised thick arm guards made of iron on their left hands. They did not seem to have a sword, but given the size of the gauntlet it wore, they did not seem to need one.

The Lizalfos charged directly at Link raising their arms in preparation for bringing them down on the Hylian hero like hammers. Link lowered himself, using the Giant Shield on his back to absorb the blows. As they struck, loud clangs could be heard and the Lizalfos raised their hands in order to hammer him once more. Link took advantage of the opening and immediately popped back up, drawing his sword and stabbing the Lizalfos on the right. His sword pierced the chest of the first Lizalfos, killing it instantly. He then danced away from the second as it unleashed a stream of fire his way. He performed a backflip and jumped away from the lizard-like enemy as it unleashed another stream of fire his way. Seeing that a close quarters battle would likely be costly, he drew out his bow and strung an arrow to it. He pulled back on the string and let fly with the arrow, hoping that it would strike before the Lizalfos could raise its arm guard to block. Unfortunately, the Lizalfos managed to raise its guard and intercept the arrow. Still, there was an opening for Link to attack, and the Lizalfos was preparing to charge in order to close the distance between it and its prey. This gave Link a chance to target the Lizalfos while its guard was down. He strung another arrow to his bow and pulled back on its string once more. Once the tension prevented it from being pulled back any further, he let fly with the arrow as the Lizalfos was raising its arm guard in order to intercept his attack. This time, though, the lizard-like enemy was too slow and the arrow scored a direct hit on the Lizalfos's chest, felling it. With the two Lizalfos having been dealt with, the Hylian hero continued on his quest.

As he walked past the scene and further down the path, he decided to play it safe in order to avoid any more ambushes. Before continuing down the path, he scouted the area ahead and found several dark red rocks littering the path, the perfect places for ambushes. To counter any potential ambushes, he took out some Bombchus and placed them on the ground, allowing them to skitter towards the boulders. Some of them were on a direct course for the boulders while others would either hit them at an angle or barely miss the boulders and skitter on past, only to explode when their fuses had run out. Still, the Bombchus had done their job. Their explosions either flushed the enemies, mostly Lizalfos, a few Lizalfos that had dark blue/black skin and bright orange crests, along with their arm guards being on their right arms, and some Bokoblins of various colors, or killed them. Some of the explosions merely wounded the enemies that had been lying in wait for Link.

Once the explosions had flushed out the enemies, Link drew his bow and proceeded to shoot all of those who were still alive and able to fight, targeting the Dark Lizalfos first. He made each shot count as he only had a limited number of arrows with which he to kill the enemies up ahead. Seeing the number of survivors, he knew that he would be hard pressed to keep his ammunition up should the enemies that he was slaying up ahead not have any arrows or other equipment on them. Still, he did not let it stop him, for he knew the dangers of facing down Lizalfos in close combat, especially with a shield that was not suited to stopping their fire breath. Little did he know just how fortunate he was, though, to engage the Dark Lizalfos from long range, for their dark fire breath not only had the ability to severely injure him, but also to curse him, preventing him from being able to use his sword in combat. He did not have to worry about such issues, though, for his first targets had been all of the remaining Dark Lizalfos on the path.

Once the Dark Lizalfos had been taken care of, he set his sights on the normal Lizalfos, knowing them to be significant threats. He used most of his remaining arrows taking down the surviving Lizalfos that were still able to fight. As soon as those were taken care of, he charged forward, reequipping his Hylian Shield in order to deflect any arrows from the Bokoblins on the path. As he passed the wounded Lizalfos, he gave them quick mercy with single slashes of his sword, not wanting to risk them returning to the fight later.

As soon as they had been dealt with, he focused on dealing with the Bokoblins that were still on the path. He still had a few arrows left to deal with them, but decided against using them and, instead, simply charged towards them with his sword, noticing that the wall off in the distance had several ledges where enemies could stand and rain arrows upon him. He wanted to have some arrows left for dealing with any enemies that may have been on those ledges before having to make the long climb up Death Mountain. As such, he simply held up his shield and charged the surviving Bokoblins.

The Bokoblins were mostly armed with swords, clubs, or hammers, but a couple of them had bows and arrows, which they fired directly at Link. The arrows bounced off his shield as he rushed forward and finished off the closest of the Bokoblins, one of the demons armed with a sword. After finishing off the first Bokoblin, he looked ahead and saw two of the demons charging towards him. He raised his shield and intercepted their attacks. He then thrust his sword forward, catching one of the demons in the abdomen while he backed away, allowing the second to overextend himself. With a single slash he felled the second Bokoblin and continued on towards the last two Bokoblins, who were doing their best to empty their quivers so that Link would not have any additional ammunition. Link, seeing their strategy, dropped his sword and drew out his bow and arrow. He strung an arrow to the bow and then fired it at the closest of the Bokoblin archers. His aim was true and he felled the archer with one shot. He then charged forward and strung another arrow to his bow. As he charged the Bokoblin, he let fly with his arrow. Just as with the first, his aim was true and the arrow struck the Bokoblin squarely in the chest, felling him instantly.

Once the Bokoblins had been dealt with, and the path seemed clear, Link went over to the locations where the Bokoblin archers had died, their bodies having already disappeared, and he picked up the small bundles of arrows that were left behind. Once he had restocked, he found that he only had about ten arrows left. He only hoped that it would be enough for dealing with any enemies that he might have to face on his long climb to the top of the wall. He then slung his Hylian Shield over his shoulder and drew out his Giant Shield out of his strange sack. He then slung it over his back and proceeded on the last leg of the path.

The last part of the path was not so surprisingly clear of any rocks that had littered the other parts of the trail. As he got closer to the wall, he was able to spot metal rungs and holds on the wall that would allow him to climb it. As he approached it, though, several Bokoblins stood up on top of the two landings and fired arrows down towards him. Expecting this attack, he was not caught off guard and immediately curled up, letting the shield cover his whole body. The Bokoblins' arrows bounced off his shield with a clang, inflicting no damage to the hero, or even to the shield. The Bokoblins then fired another volley of arrows his way, and the result was the same.

As the Bokoblins went to prepare their next volley, Link uncurled himself and drew his own bow and arrow. Quickly stringing an arrow and looking up at the Bokoblins, he found that there were four Bokoblins on each landing. He was about to fire an arrow up at the first landing when he saw that the landing was within range of his Bombchus. Wanting to conserve as many arrows as possible for later on, he decided to place a Bombchu on the ground, just after he had to curl up under his shield once more to avoid the Bokoblins' onslaught. Once he saw a lull in the shooting, he placed the Bombchu on the ground and lined it up with the ledge above. He then let it go and placed a second one on the ground, just for safety. The Bombchus skittered along the ground and ascended up the wall, not stopping until they hit the ledge. Once on the ledge, they crawled up it until they came into contact with a Bokoblin, promptly detonating. The detonation instantly killed the unfortunate Bokoblins on the ledge, throwing their bodies to the rocky ground below. The second Bombchu ended up being redundant as it continued up the wall, detonating harmlessly, gouging a hole in the wall.

Looking up at the second ledge, he quickly realized that if he got close enough, that his Bombchus might be able to reach it, too. Knowing that the Bokoblins would realize this, he charged towards the shadow of the ledge, wanting to use it for cover as he prepared a Bombchu. As he charged forward, he occasionally turtled up, using his shield for defense from the demons' arrows.

He soon made it to the wall and lined himself up perfectly with the wall. Wasting no time, he placed the Bombchu on the ground and watched as it crawled up wall, hoping that the Bombchu would have the range to reach the ledge and blow the Bokoblins off of it. As it skittered up the wall, he began to see it flash faster and faster as its fuse ran its course. The flashing became faster and faster as it got ever closer to the ledge. Just as it had reached the ledge and was crawling up it, its fuse reached the explosive and the bomb detonated. Fortunately, the detonation's concussion was close enough to the Bokoblins to affect them and send them flying off the ledge. Link saw four bodies fly off the ledge, screaming as they fell to their deaths. With no further Bokoblins to deal with, he scanned the wall just to make sure that there would be no further enemies for him to deal with. However, as he began his scan, he found several spider-like beings that he recognized as Skullwalltulas. Wasting no time, he drew his bow and arrow and with a calm business-like demeanor, he picked off each of the spiders in his path with single shots. Once the Skullwalltulas had been dealt with, he began his climb up the wall, and towards the top of Death Mountain.

The climb up the cliff face of Death Mountain was long but it was not too arduous due to his stamina and without any Skullwalltulas close to his path, he was clear to climb without worrying about attack. As he climbed, though, he stopped at the two ledges and rested there, looking up to see if any potential remaining guards were standing watch, waiting to attack. He also wanted to make sure that they did not use his tactic for clearing out the ledges against him. After each pause, seeing that anyone who was on the top was not going to be launching any attacks while he climbed. The then continued his climb until he reached the top of the cliff.

Once he reached the top of the cliff, he was greeted by two large Moblins armed with spears and iron shields. Emerging from behind the Moblins were two Dark Lizalfos. Looking past the Moblins and Dark Lizalfos, Link could see Zelda hovering in the air as if she were lying on an invisible bed, with Ghirahim standing next to her, gyrating and chanting in an alien language. When Link appeared, he sensed the hero's presence and looked up from Zelda and gazed past his guards. Seeing Link he growled. "So the guards were as utterly worthless as the rest of my army," he grumbled.

He then stepped forward, but his guards quickly formed up in front of him. "Stand back, my lord," one of the Moblins proclaimed proudly. "We'll handle this vermin."

Ghirahim gave a sarcastic grin and told his forces, "Knock yourselves out."

He then retreated, carrying Zelda, away from the battle, giving a cry and summoning more Bokoblins to assist his forces. Still, there were no more than a dozen Bokoblins, all of them Blue Bokoblins, called in to assist the Moblins and Dark Lizalfos. "If you can't handle one hero with all of your numbers after he has already fought through an entire army and is almost certainly tired or even exhausted, then you _deserve_ to die!" he cried out to his forces.

The monsters all shuddered at his proclamation as he retreated close to Death Mountain Crater with Zelda in tow. The Moblins then turned to face Link directly, who was not at all concerned with the monsters that he would have to fight to get to Ghirahim. Compared to the other enemies he had to fight, this would be easy. Wasting no time, he placed a Bombchus on the ground and released them in the direction of the monsters, one right after the other, unconcerned about conserving ammunition since he knew the explosives would not be effective against the so-called demon lord. Each of the Bombchus skittered towards their targets as the monsters and demons, foolishly fearing Ghirahim's wrath more than Link's determination to rescue Zelda, charged headfirst towards the Hylian hero, and the Bombchus he had laid on the ground. The Moblins were the first to fall, their shields and spears doing little good against the mouse-shaped explosives. The rest of the Bombchus skittered to their other targets, each one detonating upon striking a monster, or continuing on until their fuse gave out. After the Bombchu assault, only two Blue Bokoblins and a Dark Lizalfos remained. These were quickly dealt with as Link drew his bow and arrow and fired a single arrow at his remaining enemies, felling them with single hits. Once the demons and monsters were dealt with, Link turned his attention towards Ghirahim, who was in the middle of performing his ritual.

He was still waving his arms and chanting in an unfamiliar language when Link approached him, his sword sheathed and his shield slung behind his back, along with his bow and arrow. When the demon lord heard the footfalls of the hero coming, he looked up from the floating Zelda, who had magical sparkles and dust floating around her as the ritual was continuing.

"I was hoping that the remnants of my army would be sufficient to slow you down," Ghirahim began in a calm voice, not bothering to look up from Zelda. "But, I should have suspected as much, considering how you destroyed the army assaulting Death Mountain and did much of the work in clearing out Goron City, as well as destroying the sentries I had placed on the trail, itself." He then looked up at Link, glaring at the hero as he continued, "I can sense that you have no magical abilities to speak of, aside from the gifts granted by the power of the old gods in your hands, which is surprising for a Hylian." He then looked more closely at Link and continued, "Yes, I suspected as such, earlier. Now I know for certain. You're like a group of those who joined the Dark Interloper tribe so long ago, when I first awakened after my master's second sealing. You're part true Human. True Humans have no magic to speak of, so I'll be nice and give you a brief lesson on what I'm doing here.

"The type of spell I am casting in order to revive my master takes time, as well as a steady hand. It is not particularly difficult; it's just delicate. If I am to accomplish my objective successfully, I will need to withdraw the essence of Hylia in order for my master to have an anchor to this world. You see, I have a piece of my master within me. It was a safeguard, just in case he was ever defeated in battle. It's not enough to revive him permanently, and without the rest of his consciousness, it's nothing more than an empty shell with his power, but it is an essential part of the ritual I am trying to accomplish. It will give him his full power the moment he is revived, rather than him having to wait to recharge himself, or absorb any other sources of energy. Now, as you can see, the ritual is far from finished so be a good little boy and wait your turn. I'll murder you soon enough." He then looked back down at Zelda, focusing on her and continuing with his ritual.

Link would have none of it, though, and quickly drew his Megaton Hammer, holding out in front of him, assuming a fighter's stance. He quickly charged the demon lord and took a swing at him, being careful to not risk hitting the unconscious Zelda. Ghirahim saw the swing coming, though, and leapt out of the way, landing several feet to Link's right. Despite not scoring a hit on Ghirahim, though, the attack accomplished its objective of separating Link from the demon lord. As he neared Zelda to check on her, his Triforce mark glowed. Looking at the back of her right hand, he noticed that her mark was glowing too and while she did not regain consciousness, he felt that its glow indicated that she was not in any real danger at the moment.

Ghirahim was beside himself at the turn of events. "You petulant brat!" he cried. Why couldn't you have just been patient and awaited your turn? You've ruined the whole ritual! Now I'll have to start again after I murder you within an inch of your life, and then truly finish the deed!" He then calmed down for a moment and looked at Link as he held his hammer. "You really think you can defeat me?" he asked incredulously. "I thought our previous encounters would have taught you otherwise. Without the Light Arrows, you have nothing that can harm me. And even with them, nothing you have will kill me. You would need something like the fires of the planet's mantle or a truly magical weapon like the Master Sword in order to defeat me. You have neither, so you have no hope." He then crouched down a bit and began to grunt. As he grunted, a fiery aura surrounded his body. His grunt then became a steady groan, which gradually rose in pitch until it became a scream. As the grunt and groan became a scream, the fiery aura turned into a pitch-black flame. The scream continued for a few seconds until his entire body was engulfed by the black flame. After a few moments, the flame died down and revealed his true form, the one he had used to fight Ganondorf with. Once his transformation was complete, he stood erect and stepped forward, a soft metal sound echoing with each footstep. He looked at Link in the eyes and told him, "I will not make the same mistake I made against your ancestor. No. I won't play any games with you. You'll see my true power right from the start. You're not just fighting a normal monster. You're fighting a demon, or should I say, a weapon without mercy; a weapon that may well have surpassed his master and creator!"

With that, Ghirahim rushed towards the hero. Link assumed a fighter's stance and gripped his hammer tightly, ready for the onslaught. As soon as Ghirahim was within grappling distance, he stopped and performed a roundhouse kick at Link's head. Link ducked the kick and performed a leg sweep while the demon lord was off balance, not wanting to risk using any of his Deku Nuts just yet. He wanted to save them for later on in the fight since he felt that despite the demon lord's statement moments ago, that the demon was still toying with him. The leg sweep knocked the demon lord off balance and he fell to the ground with a grunt of surprise. What came next would really surprise the demon, for Link then jumped into the air and performed a jump attack with the Megaton Hammer, bringing it down upon the jewel in the center of his chest.

Ghirahim spasmed upwards and coughed before flattening out once more, a look of surprise and shock coming across his face as he Link's attack, and it hurt. He wondered how this could happen. How could this boy manage to inflict actual damage to him with a hammer, a hammer that did not seem to have any magical properties to speak of?

He rolled over and rose to his feet to face the Hylian hero once more. He scowled as he charged towards the hero again, making sure to not throw a kick this time. He would grapple with Link and throw him off the mountain himself, listening to the hero's cries of despair as he fell to his death. He charged the hero with surprising speed, but Link was still able to react. He dove to the left, avoiding Ghirahim's attempted grab and readied his hammer once more. He rose and then charged the demon and swung his hammer in a wide arc as Ghirahim spun around and performed another kick, aiming to shatter the hero's neck or even take it off. The hammer and his leg connected with each other and Link felt a massive vibration throughout his arms, while Ghirahim felt one throughout his entire body. The force of the impact was enough to knock the demon lord off balance and give Link an opening with which to attack. With a second swing, he connected with the demon lord, hitting him squarely in the chest. The impact took the demon lord off his feet and sent him flying through the air. He gave a cry of shock as he sailed through the air and landed with a thud near the edge of the cliff face that led to the path below the summit of Death Mountain. Link then rushed towards him and performed another jump smash with his hammer, bringing it down squarely on Ghirahim's jewel. Again, the demon lord spasmed upwards, coughing, before falling back on the ground. He quickly rolled over and recovered once more, rising to his feet.

He engaged Link again by charging towards the hero. Throwing caution to the wind, he performed a flying kick at the hero, which Link deftly avoided. The hero turned and rushed towards Ghirahim as he was turning to face Link. Link swung his hammer and connected with Ghirahim's side, sending him flying. He sailed through the air and landed several feet away. Link rushed over and brought the hammer down on his jewel again. Again, Ghirahim spasmed upwards, but this time, he was ready for the attack and recovered quickly readying a kick which would take off the hero's head. However, Link was faster, despite the hammer's weight, and his next swing sent Ghirahim flying over the edge of the cliff face, falling more than a hundred feet below, landing flat on his back, his look of shock and pain still evident on his face. How was this happening? How could this boy actually be defeating him? He raised his head and glanced down at his chest and saw the jewel on his chest, representing the jewel on the sword that was his true form, was cracked, and had turned red with a golden outline. His eyes went wide with horror at the fact that he had been damaged by Link's hammer, something that did not seem to have any magical power to speak of. It was now that he realized that Link was far more difficult an opponent than he had ever anticipated, and even more powerful than his ancestor. He slowly stood up and vanished from the bottom of the path and reappeared on the elevated area near Death Mountain Crater.

When he reappeared before Link, he held his chest and nearly keeled over, barely able to remain standing, breathing heavily. Link noticed that the jewel on his chest was no longer gray, but red with a golden outline, indicating that he had inflicted actual damage on the demon lord. "How?" Ghirahim gasped. "How can a weapon that has no magical nature manage to damage me?"

Link did not have an answer, for he had suspected that the Megaton Hammer was, indeed, a magical weapon. Ghirahim's look of shock soon became one of anger and rage. "It doesn't matter. I'll never lose to a boy like you. Not again!"

He then snapped his fingers and a black rapier appeared above him. He reached up and grabbed the sword, slicing it through the air as he faced down the hero once more. Without saying a word, he charged towards Link, raising his sword high. He attempted to bring the sword down on Link's head, but the hero was too fast and he managed to avoid the strike. Still, Ghirahim had shown greater speed than he had in the first stage of the fight and Link realized that he would be harder to hit this time around since he would not be able to take advantage of the demon lord putting himself off balance for this fight. Still, he was not out of options, for he still had his Deku Nuts, as well as the secondary effect of the Megaton Hammer, for he noticed the ground shake with each hit.

Ghirahim quickly turned around and went to thrust his rapier forward. That was when Link ducked and a second blow and smashed his hammer into the ground. The ground shook with the impact and Ghirahim stumbled a bit as he lost his balance due to the ground's shaking. That gave Link precious moments with which he could launch a counterattack. He swung his hammer at Ghirahim and scored a direct hit on him, knocking him to the ground. He then smashed his hammer down on Ghirahim's jewel once more. Ghirahim felt the blow, but did not spasm upwards as he had the last three times. He also felt the damage being inflicted by the hammer decreasing. He rolled over and rose.

He backed off a few meters and summoned six diamonds sheathed in red energy. The diamonds spun in front of him in a circle. He grinned as he dared Link to get closer by holding out his sword. He then launched the diamonds directly at the hero, forcing him to put away his hammer and draw his shield. Each of the diamond struck his shield and bounced off of it, traveling in different directions, eventually bursting into an unnatural yellow flame before disappearing.

After his diamond dagger attack had failed, Ghirahim raised his rapier until it glowed with red energy. He then slashed downward and sent a vertical wave of scarlet energy towards Link. The energy wave moved slowly, though, and easy for the hero to avoid. The issue now, though, was getting a hit in on Ghirahim since he had an effective long range attack that could keep Link at a distance, for despite the slow movement of the energy waves, the closer he got, the more likely Ghirahim would be to score a hit on him. Still, he had to try to get a hit in on the demon lord. He did not want to risk using the Deku Nuts just yet since he knew they would only work once, maybe twice before Ghirahim mounted a defense against them, if they would have worked at all on him.

Ghirahim continued to launch more energy waves at Link, hoping that he would get lucky and score a hit. Link, for his part, continued to slowly close the distance between the two of them, but stopped after two more energy waves were sent his way. A plan formed in his mind and he stepped back, grinning at the demon lord. Link's grin surprised Ghirahim. "What's so funny?" he demanded as he launched another energy wave at the hero.

Link said nothing as he avoided the attack. This only caused Ghirahim to become even angrier. He fired another energy wave at Link, this one a horizontal one, but the hero simply dodged it as he had all the others. "Stop moving!" Ghirahim screamed, making Link think that he had completely lost his cool, which was only half right. He then vanished from sight in a puff of black sparkles and reappeared behind Link. Link, however, had been waiting for just that moment and he quickly spun around and swung his hammer. Ghirahim reappeared right in the path of the swing and before he could even think about striking, the hammer collided with his side. He was sent flying once more, this time towards the entrance to Death Mountain Crater. He landed on his back and Link rushed over to him. Once he arrived, he brought his hammer down on the damaged jewel of the demon lord. Despite the impact hurting Ghirahim, the jewel did not suffer any further damage. Ghirahim then rolled away and stood back up.

Despite Link's success in evading his attack, and the fact that the Megaton Hammer's impacts shook the ground, allowing him to be staggered long enough for Link to attack, he charged towards Link, holding out his sword. He fired off an energy wave, which Link avoided easily, and then went to perform a series of slashes. However, before he could attack, Link struck the ground with the Megaton Hammer, causing it to shake. The shaking caused Ghirahim to momentarily lose his balance, which gave Link an opening for attack. Swinging the hammer once more, he scored another hit on the sword spirit, sending him flying further towards the entrance to Death Mountain Crater. He then rushed Ghirahim and brought his hammer down on the jewel once more. The strike did not inflict any damage, but it did hurt the demon lord.

After sustaining this strike, Ghirahim rolled away and rose to face Link once more, holding his chest as he lowered his rapier. "You brat," he spat. "How dare you do this to something like me! I am a demon lord, not your floorboard or a nail to be hammered into the ground!" His face then broke out into a grin and he said, "No more games!" With that, he snapped his fingers and a large, thick sword that slightly resembled a broadsword appeared in his hands.

His first move was to rush Link and attack him. Link was still fast enough to dodge the blow, though, and he retaliated with a swing from the Megaton Hammer. Ghirahim raised his sword in order to block the attack and a loud clash rang out. However, as the sword blocked the hammer, it cracked and pieces of metal broke off of it. Link then swung at the sword again and inflicted more damage to it, causing it to break some more. Ghirahim, however, seemed unconcerned, though, something Link took note of. His third swing was the one that broke the sword. The hammer collided with the sword and the sword snapped and shattered into many pieces. Link then took another swing at Ghirahim and scored another hit on him, this time hitting the demon lord in the head, knocking him to the ground. Ghirahim then crawled away, towards the entrance to Death Mountain Crater.

The demon lord slowly stood up and glared at Link. "How? How can a mere child be able to do this to me? Even though you lack the power or weaponry to destroy me, I am still unable to kill you."

Link neared the demon lord cautiously as Ghirahim staggered forward, snapping his fingers, seemingly expecting a sword to appear in his hands. Nothing happened. He looked down at his hands, shocked as Link went to take another swing at him, hoping to stagger him and drive him into Death Mountain, for he suspected that the flames and lava of the volcano may actually be sufficient to kill the demon lord, regardless of whether or not they were magical in nature. The swing connected with Ghirahim and sent him flying towards the entrance. He landed on his back and skidded towards the cave, leaving a groove in the ground. He slowly rose and looked around, seeing few options for him. He could either continue to fight Link and hope that the hero tired out before possibly inflicting more damage to him, or he could try to lure Link into the mountain's crater and hope that the heat and gases from the volcano would finish off the hero. Seeing that he had little choice, he decided to run. He turned and ran into the tunnel. Link glanced back at Zelda and, seeing that she was still unconscious but that there were no monsters or any other enemies in sight, he decided that he could afford to leave and go after Ghirahim. This would be his best chance to finish off the demon lord once and for all. He then followed after Ghirahim and entered the tunnel.

Link emerged inside of Death Mountain. As he entered the tunnel, a wall of heat hit him that would have literally knocked down a lesser man. Realizing that he could not remain in the crater for too long, he quickly charged after the demon lord. As soon as he emerged from the tunnel, he saw Ghirahim standing near a ledge. Ghirahim must have sensed him, for he turned around, grinning. "Welcome to the interior of Eldin Volcano," he told Link. "Actually, I think it would be more accurate to call it 'Death Mountain', for this crater will be where you die."

Link scowled and stared at the demon lord. Ghirahim snapped his fingers and a broadsword appeared in his hands. Link looked behind him at the entrance and saw that the sword spirit had erected a barrier, preventing him from leaving the crater. "You only have a limited time to fight me in here, Link," Ghirahim cautioned in a sadistic tone. "I can't believe you were stupid enough to follow me in here! You had what you needed. You should have just left with your queen. Now you're going to die an ignominious death due to severe heat and toxic air because you foolishly followed me inside an active volcano!"

Link could only grin as Ghirahim spoke. It was as if the demon lord had no idea that he was potentially in just as much danger of being killed as Link was, and that the Hylian hero had taken a calculated risk in entering Death Mountain Crater. Ghirahim then held out his sword and proceeded to charge towards Link. Link, seeing that this was as good a time as any, took out a Deku Nut and threw it right at Ghirahim. The nut struck him squarely in his damaged jewel on his chest and exploded in a flash of light. Whether it was because the nut struck Ghirahim in the jewel, or because the light, itself, was enough to stun him, Link did not know, and did not care. All he knew was that the Deku Nut had stunned Ghirahim and he would take advantage of it.

Link swung at the stunned Ghirahim, who was staggering backwards towards the edge of the precipice, with all his might. The swing connected with Ghirahim in the chest and sent him flying through the air. The hit must have been strong enough to inflict more damage since the demon lord was making no effort to recover. He sailed over the edge and fell into the lava below. Link went over to the edge and watched Ghirahim fall, a large splash issuing forth as he made contact with the lava below. When he made contact with the lava, his eyes shot open and his mouth opened as if to scream in pain. However, before a scream could be issued, his skin was burned away and the spirit faded away, retreating back into the sword, leaving only a large broadsword with a red jewel on its hilt. The jewel and the sword began to glow red, then orange, then yellow as it gradually began to melt. Link could hear Ghirahim cry out in shock, pain, and despair. The cry quickly faded as the sword melted and soon looked to be completely destroyed. It was over. Ghirahim was dead.

Link put his hammer away and retreated from the edge as he felt the heat getting to him. Turning back to the exit, he saw that the barrier that Ghirahim had erected was gone. He ran to the tunnel as quickly as he could in order to escape before he succumbed to the heat and gases. He made it to the tunnel and rushed through, feeling a great sense of relief as the relatively cool air of the mountain's exterior brushed against his face and body.

He exited the tunnel and went over to Zelda, who was slowly beginning to stand. He rushed over to her and helped her up. She looked at him and asked, "Is it over? Is Ghirahim dead?"

"Yes, Zelda." Link answered. "He's dead."

"Then we have to get off this mountain and back to Kakariko Village. From there, we can go get the Master Sword from the Sacred Grove in Faron Woods."

Link nodded as he let Zelda go. With that, the two of them retraced their path back down the mountain, and to Kakariko Village.

Back in Death Mountain, in the lava inside the crater, a piece of metal floated up to the surface. It looked warped and distorted, but there was no mistaking it. It was the sword that housed the demon lord Ghirahim. The jewel on its hilt had melted, but the sword, itself, was still intact. It did not move, though, as it merely floated on the surface of the lava.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9:

The journey down Death Mountain and back to Kakariko Village was far less strenuous, or dangerous, than the trip up had been since the death of Ghirahim. The only enemies that Link had to deal with were a few Tektites, which were easily cut down or avoided by the two, and they only appeared on the upper parts of the trail. The lower parts were clear of all enemies. On his way back down, Link and Zelda came across the entrance to Goron Mines. Looking at the sky, they noticed that the sun was going down and that night would be coming not long from now. When they came to the entrance of the mines, they saw Dangoro emerging from the Goron Mines along with the rest of his party. When they saw him, Link waved over to the Goron and called over, asking, "How did everything go in Goron Mines?"

"Fine," Dangoro answered triumphantly. "We were clearing out the monsters, holding our own to say the least, when suddenly, they just vanished in unnatural flames. It's as if everything keeping them here is gone. It looks like the battle's finally over."

Dangoro's statement caused Link to breathe a sigh of relief. He had not expected _all_ of the remaining demons to disappear with Ghirahim's demise, but he was not sad that they were all gone. In fact, the disappearance of the demons in the way that Dangoro had described indicated that Ghirahim was, indeed, finally destroyed, which took a lot off of Link's mind. Now all he had to worry about was defeating Ganondorf, which would admittedly be difficult, especially since he now had the power of both the Triforce of Power and the Triforce of Wisdom at his disposal.

Link was about to leave when Dangoro called to him. "Wait."

The Hylian hero turned around and saw the large Goron come over to him and pull out five Silver Rupees worth two hundred Rupees, each. He then told Link, "Bring me your Giant Wallet so I can upgrade it into a true Giant Wallet. You may need to carry all the money you can in the future. It won't take long for the upgrade, either."

Link thought about the offer for a moment. He did not have a huge amount of money at the moment, and the enemies were stingy with the amount of Rupees that they had had on them at the times of their demise. He did not want to waste any time getting upgrades that he might not have a use for at the moment, but in the end, he saw the wisdom of the suggestion and decided to get the upgrade. He then nodded and handed over the Giant Wallet, which had less than one hundred Rupees remaining. After handing it over to Dangoro, he looked for a nearby rock to sit on while he waited. Despite not liking having to wait for his quest to continue, it would give him a good opportunity to rest and plan the next part of his adventure.

He looked over at Zelda and noticed that she had found a bench to sit on. He did not like the prospect of her following him everywhere he went on this adventure, for the places he would be going were almost certainly going to be exceedingly dangerous. Even with the Triforce of Wisdom, she was not really cut out for adventuring the way he was. She was a ruler and her country needed her on the throne now more than ever, especially since she had no descendants and there was no real line of succession should she die. He then shook off the thoughts as he continued to sit in silence as Dangoro worked to increase the carrying capacity of his Giant Wallet.

Less then fifteen minutes went by before Dangoro returned and presented Link with a new wallet. It was huge, far larger than the Giant Wallet he had earlier on and he suspected that something was up. Dangoro looked at him and said, "Well, the Giant Wallet that we intended to upgrade was not as malleable as we wished, so we decided to upgrade it as far as we could, which wasn't much." He then took out the Giant Wallet and placed it in front of Link. "As such, we present to you this Gargantuan Wallet, complete with the one thousand Rupees that we initially were going to give to you along with your wallet upgrade. This baby can hold up to ten thousand Rupees." Link did not doubt it given that it looked to be far larger than his already large Giant Wallet. "There's one more thing," Dangoro added.

He then fished in one of his pockets and eventually took out a bottle that was filled with water. "This bottle is filled with fresh spring water," he massive Goron told him. "It can also be used to hold other things, such as Great Fairy Tears and other useful healing items. It should be able to help you on further adventures. Hopefully this token of appreciation can in some small way show us how grateful we are for your help. We're a proud people and don't like to burden others with our own problems."

"It's no burden," Link told him. "I'm just glad I was able to help."

"You were a great help," Dangoro responded. "If there's anything we can do to help you on any further adventures, just tell us. We'll be here for you."

Link nodded and accepted his Giant Wallet, Gargantuan Wallet, and the new bottle. He then placed them in his strange sack. Once he did so, Zelda stood up and went over to him. Before they left, though, Dangoro called after them, saying, "Oh, just so you know, our shop down there in the crags in the area below has all new wares that should help you on your adventure, whatever it is."

"Thanks," Link called back, waving.

Before departing, though, Dangoro went over to Link told him, "There's one more thing I want to give you."

Link was puzzled as to what the massive Goron meant but his questions were soon answered when the Goron took out a red stone that sat in what looked to be a gold V. "This is the Spiritual Stone of Fire, the Goron's Ruby," Dangoro told him. "It is said that this is the key to something important. The Elders told me that I should give this to you when you came back down the mountain."

Link did not know what to say as he almost gasped as he was handed the glowing red stone. "I can't accept this," Link said. "This is…"

"Take it, Link," Dangoro insisted. "It is merely decoration for us, anyway. Besides, we still have to repay you for everything you've done for us."

Seeing that there was little he could do to convince Dangoro to not part with the obviously incredibly valuable stone, he accepted the stone and placed it in his pocket. Once Link had accepted the stone, Dangoro gave one last farewell. "Farewell Link. I hope that you find what you are searching for."

With that, Dangoro and his party headed back up the trail towards Goron City. Link and Zelda then scaled down the pulley system and ramps that were being constructed to connect the lower and upper areas of the mountain. As they descended the mountain, Link expected Zelda to ask about the stone that Dangoro had given him, but she did not speak of the stone at all. On the way, they came across the Death Mountain Hot Springs. Now that there were no monsters on the mountain, they could relax in the springs and rest for a bit. As they went to rest, though, Link remembered that there was a Goron Shop near the hot springs. He went over to the shop and saw that it was still there, and that it was still being maintained by the Goron shopkeeper that he had known from before. He proceeded to make his way towards the shop, hoping to be able to replenish some of his spent Bombchus and get some more arrows. He also wanted to compare prices between the shop here and the shops in Kakariko Village. There was also the fact that the Goron shop had some wares that even Malo Mart did not seem to have just yet.

As Link entered the shop, he saw the Goron shopkeeper sitting behind the cash register, the wall behind him being lined with merchandise. The shop sold the usual arrows, along with all types of bombs, including Bombchus. When the shopkeeper saw Link and Zelda, his eyes flashed open, indicating that he had been close to falling asleep, and he said, "Welcome to the Goron Hot Springs Shop. How may I help you?"

He looked over at the Bombchus and saw that they were the same price they were in Barnes's shop, only there was a sale on them right now, which had the Bombchus cost only twenty Rupees for five Bombchus, ten Bombchus for forty Rupees, and fifteen Bombchus for sixty Rupees. He glanced over to the packet of ten Bombchus and told the Goron, "I'd like some Bombchus."

The Goron took a look at the Bomb Bag and gave Link the necessary amount of Bombchus in order to fill it to capacity. Once that was finished, Link paid him the necessary Rupees for the exchange. Once that was done, Link bought some arrows with which to fill the rest of his quiver. After he had done so, he thanked the Goron shopkeeper and proceeded to leave, Zelda following him outside. As he left, the Goron called, "Thank you. Come again." Once outside, Link and Zelda went back to the hot springs to rest and relax for a few minutes, soaking in the water and breathing in the refreshing steam. Once they were fully rested and ready to go, they left the springs and followed the rest of the trail down to Kakariko Village, encountering no enemies along the way.

When the two entered Kakariko Village, night had already fallen. Most of the houses and huts in the village were already abandoned, but there were a few houses still lit, Renado's house among them. Another small house was lit not too far away that Link believed to have been occupied by Ashei while she was still guarding the village. He went over to Renado's sanctuary and found Epona lying quietly on the ground. As he approached, she looked up and saw him. She then stood up and waited for him to go over to her and untie her from the post. Once he did so, she rubbed her nose against his chest in affection, happy that he had survived his ordeal on Death Mountain. "I know Epona," Link told her in a gentle voice. "I missed you, too."

Not one to rest before a journey was completed, Link then proceeded to mount Epona. As he did so, Renado and Ashei came out of their respective houses and came over to him and Zelda. Zelda, seeing that Link was ready to go, went to Epona's side in order to mount her, too. Link looked down at her in surprise. "Are you sure you want to come with me?" he asked her. "I'm going to cross Hyrule Field to get my weapons and items back at my house in Ordon Village before I go to the Temple of Time to retrieve the Master Sword. It's a long ride and Ganondorf is undoubtedly going to be looking for me. It would likely be safer here since I'm the one he's looking for."

"And you'll need my help if you end up having to fight him," Zelda countered.

"That might not be the best idea, right now, my queen," Ashei called out from behind. Despite not making a sound before coming up behind Zelda and Link, the former sensed her arrival.

"Link will need help if Ganondorf ambushes him," Zelda reiterated.

"I know, Your Grace" Ashei told her. Zelda was not comfortable with being called that, remembering what Eldin had said about her being a reincarnation of the goddess Hylia. "But I went to the Sacred Grove with Shad to study the temple. The path is treacherous at best, and at some point, a Golden Cucco is the only way you'll be able to get across and there's only one."

"Then how did both you and Shad make it there?" Zelda asked, crossing her arms.

Her question took Ashei aback, but the young woman did not have an answer. Zelda then looked over at Link and he noticed that the Triforce mark in her hand was beginning to glow. She then crouched and a glow of magical energy then surrounded her. The light that surrounded her grew in intensity and everyone had to look away. It lasted for several seconds until it vanished and in the place of the young Queen of Hyrule stood a young woman wearing a form-fitting dark purple and white bodysuit that had the image of a single red eye with three triangular lashes above with a tear running from it on her torso, the symbol of the Sheikah. Her mouth and the top part of her head were also covered in bandages. In addition, she wore her hair in a bandaged ponytail. She was also armed with a single knife on her waist. Glancing at Ashei and Link, she told them, "I'm not as helpless as I may have appeared at first. I'm coming with you as far as I can," she declared. "Besides, it's better than sitting in a single place waiting to be captured. If I stay here, Ashei, Renado, and Luda will be put in grave danger. I won't have that on my conscience.

Link shrugged and said, "I understand." He then moved forward so Zelda could sit behind him. As he did so, he said, "Climb on."

Zelda climbed onto Epona as if she were one born to ride. He was still uncomfortable with her joining him on this adventure, despite the fact that she had proven essential in their first encounter with Ghirahim. The fact that Ganondorf was still out there and that he would need Zelda sooner or later concerned him greatly and without the Light Arrows, he doubted that Zelda had anything that could hold off the Gerudo King. Still, she was right. She was safer on the move than she was staying in one place. And with the disguise she was wearing, it may have taken a while for Ganondorf or his minions to realize that it was her that was traveling with Link. As soon as she was onboard, Link turned to Renado and Ashei and gave a strong smile. "You be careful out there," Ashei told him. There are still monsters out and about in the field."

"We will be," Zelda assured her.

"You be careful, my queen," Renado said with care. "You are too important for Hyrule to lose."

"I know," she responded. "But right now, Hyrule needs Ganondorf to be defeated once and for all."

Renado nodded and saw the two off as they rode Epona out of the town. As they rode out of the town, Ashei looked over at Renado and asked, "Do you think we'll see them again?"

Renado looked towards the departing Hylian hero and the Queen of Hyrule. "I'm certain Zelda will return," he said. He then looked down at the ground and added. "It's Link I'm not so sure about."

Out on Hyrule Field, Link and Zelda emerged from Kakariko Village and rode out onto the field: their destination, Faron Woods so they could get to the Temple of Time and retrieve the Master Sword. As they exited the village, they crossed the Kakariko Gorge Bridge and immediately turned southwest so they could follow Hyrule Field so they could get to Faron Province. Link, however, had a detour in mind, since he had a feeling that he would need all of his arsenal if he wanted to fight Ganondorf and end his threat once and for all. Zelda sat behind Link in her Sheik form and prepared a series of needles, just in case they were caught off guard. In addition, she did not want Link to waste arrows when she had an unlimited supply of needles in her Sheik form. As soon as they were clear of the bridge, he spurred Epona on, having her travel at a brisk pace.

As they rode, Link looked back at her to make sure she was having no difficulties holding on since they were traveling at an increased pace, as well as the fact that she was may have still been recovering from the effects of the ritual that Ghirahim had performed on her, despite the rest in the Death Mountain Hot Springs. So far, she seemed to be having no troubles. In fact, she seemed to be an even more natural rider in this form than she was as a queen, something that puzzled Link. As if sensing Link's thoughts, Zelda asked, "Is something wrong Link?"

Link shook his head. "Nothing's wrong, my queen."

Zelda gazed at him knowingly, though, and continued, "You're noticing that I'm a more natural rider than I was before."

"Yes," the hero answered.

"It's a family secret passed down from the time Ganondorf first tried to take over the kingdom more than a century ago," Zelda explained. "While such a disguise was not needed, since the King of Hyrule believed the Hero of Time and my ancestor about Ganondorf's treachery, the secret was still passed down to us. Princesses and Queens of Hyrule of the Zelda line that have the Triforce of Wisdom can use it to quickly disguise themselves as others, oftentimes a Sheikah. Legends have it that a Zelda from another timeline disguised herself as a Sheikah boy, rather than the girl you see me as. In addition to the disguise, though, those of the Zelda line were taught to be able to use the weapons you see me armed with right now, as well as other weapons. We were trained as warriors that started from a small group of soldiers the Dark Interloper tribe called ninjas. We can use multiple types of weapons and have numerous items. I've never had to use this disguise until now, not even when we were attacked by Zant and later by Ganondorf. However, I am fully trained in the weaponry that this disguise affords me."

"So why didn't you use it against Ganondorf or when you are attacked by Ghirahim?" Link asked.

"Because I was caught off guard in those scenarios," Zelda answered. "The transformation into Sheik takes some time, as you just saw. Besides, I didn't want to reveal this capability to Ganondorf. He already suspects that the remaining Sheikahs are already being mobilized since he has already driven me from Hyrule Castle. Even though he may well no longer have any of his forces inside the castle, he will have more enemies searching for us."

"But won't he suspect that you're you since you're riding with me?"

"Possibly, but I hope not. I didn't just change my clothing, here. I changed my skin, hair, and eye color as well. While Ganondorf may suspect that that is due to the Triforce of Wisdom, I hope that he'll overlook it and focus on other things."

"Like me?" Link asked.

"Hopefully not too closely," Zelda answered. "I just hope that when he sees you, all he sees is you with a Sheikah guardian riding behind you in support. He doesn't know about this disguise, so chances are that he won't know it's me."

"But what about the Triforce of Wisdom?" Link asked. "Won't it glow, and cause the Triforce of Power to glow as well once they are in close proximity?"

"I'm using my magic, as well as the Triforce of Wisdom's power, to suppress that attribute of the Triforce pieces. After all, your Triforce of Courage isn't glowing. My hope is that Ganondorf's Triforce piece won't, either, or if it does, it'll be because of the Triforce of Courage's presence, rather than the Triforce of Wisdom's."

Link was skeptical but he saw that he had little choice in the matter. There was no way that Zelda would abandon them or stay on the sidelines this time. She would help him in any way she could. And help would likely prove useful in the trip to Ordon Village, for he knew that Ganondorf's minions would be patrolling Hyrule Field for any sign of the two of them. Not only that, but her assistance could also be useful in helping them get to the Sacred Grove. He then looked back in front of them and focused on riding towards Ordon Village, making sure to keep his sword loose in its scabbard in case the came across any of Ganondorf's minions, which would likely be difficult to spot during the night despite the full moon, which had risen over the horizon and brought forth some light onto the field.

About an hour into the trek, he came across the first source of enemy activity, a squad of four Bokoblins, the Ganondorf Bokoblins that he was already familiar with. Drawing his Ordon Sword, since the Biggoron Sword was too unwieldy to be used by one hand on horseback, he rode into the group, trampling two of the imp-like enemies, while slashing another one before he could launch any kind of attack. As they rode past, the lone survivor attempted to give chase but Epona was quickly carrying Link and Zelda out of his range. Zelda made ready to unleash a barrage of sharp needles at the imp-like creature, but seeing that there was no way he would catch up to them, decided to save the weapons for another time. One of the things she had been taught about ninjas is that they would avoid needless confrontation if it meant jeopardizing the mission or would leave any trace of their presence.

As they rode past, they continued on towards Zora's Domain. Zelda relaxed behind Link as they continued to ride. For the next two hours, there did not seem to be any enemies to speak of either following them or off in the distance. As such, they decided to use this lull to take a rest and keep Epona, and themselves, fresh just in case there were more enemies on the way to Zora's Domain. Link found a small rock where he and Zelda could rest. They both dismounted from Epona and say by the rock. Link gave Epona the Spring Water from the bottle that he had received from Dangoro. The horse quickly drank the water and felt completely rejuvenated. Link also took this opportunity to have a snack, as did Zelda, who cautiously lowered the bandages over her mouth as she ate. After a half hour, they were finished and they packed up what was not used and they mounted Epona once more. They then rode off following the trail that led to Zora's Domain once more.

Not too far into their journey, they came across more Bokoblins. These Bokoblins had bluish skin, rather than the normal purple for most of the Ganondorf Bokoblins, and they were armed with spiked clubs. They were still too slow to catch Epona at full stride and as such, Link simply rode past them, only bothering to attack those who got close enough to actually be a threat. Most of the Bokoblins were wise enough to stay out of the way and, as such, avoided becoming the latest statistic in the long list of dead enemies that Link had to his name. It was not long before they were out of sight of the Bokoblins.

Not too far away from the Bokoblins, though, came a graver threat, for there were several rock outcroppings in the distance that, while small, were tall enough to house Bulblin archers. Zelda looked out at them, using her enhanced eyesight, and she spied several shapes standing on the outcroppings.

"Eyes sharp Link," she called out in warning. "There are Bulblins on top of those rocks."

Link had already spied them and was already in the process of drawing his bow as Zelda gave her warning. He nodded in confirmation of her warning and strung an arrow to his bow. Zelda, for her part, readied a barrage of needles, knowing that they _would_ be necessary against the Bulblin archers that they were about to face.

The Bulblins must have already spotted them, for they noticed several torches and fires being lit around the rocks in the distance, indicating that they were using them to light their arrows on fire. While the fires would be useful for scaring horses or burning the area around them should they miss, they also gave away their position to Link and Zelda, allowing the two to spot them off in the distance. Link was able to measure the distance to about one hundred meters or so, barely within range of his Bulblin bow. Wasting no time, Link pulled back on his bowstring and let fly with a single arrow. The arrow arced through the air and came down upon one of the Bulblin archers before he could let fly with an arrow of his own. The arrow struck the archer squarely in the chest and felled him with one shot. Link proceeded to turn Epona away from the Bulblins as they fired a volley of flaming arrows towards him. Zelda looked up and took out a white chain and used it to bat away the arrows, making sure to keep Link, herself, and Epona safe. Seeing that the Bulblins were using longbows and that they would be able to fire from outside of his range, he decided that the best chance he and Zelda had was to engage them and take them down.

He turned back towards the Bulblin force and rode directly towards them, drawing another arrow from his quiver and stringing it to his bow. He targeted the next closest archer and pulled back on his string, able to see that they were well within the one hundred meter range of the bow. He let fly with his arrow and scored another hit on the Bulblin attackers, taking down his target. The Bulblins retaliated with another volley of arrows, but these arrows went wide and Zelda did not need to use her chains to intercept them. Link then retaliated with a third arrow, again, taking down another Bulblin, leaving two archers left.

The archers, seeing their comrades fall, soon decided that using the stone outcroppings for cover was a better tactic than using them to increase the range of their weapons. As such, they dove behind the outcroppings and did just that. Link, seeing an opportunity to get out of range of them, raced away, stringing another arrow to his bow and firing it towards the Bulblins. He did not intend to score a hit on them, merely to drive them further into cover until he and Zelda were out of range of their weapons. His arrow struck precariously close to one of the Bulblins, forcing him to dive behind the rock, rather than peer out to look for a good shot. Another arrow was enough to convince both him and his friend that the safest place to be was behind the rocks. They remained behind the rocks until no further arrows came their way. Link had only fired two more arrows before he turned away and spurred Epona on at a faster rate in order to get out of range of the Bulblins. By the time they emerged from cover to try and take potshots at Link and Zelda, they were long gone.

The rest of the trek to Faron Province was without any real incident. All they came across were a few more Bokoblin parties, none of which had any ranged weapons to speak of. The few Bokoblins that tried to intercept them and attack were easily trampled and/or cut down by Link and Zelda's blades.

It did not take long for them to reach the edge of Faron Province. Along the way, both Zelda and Link kept a sharp eye out for any enemies. So far, though, they found none. It seemed as if Ganondorf did not suspected that they would go to Faron Province, or if he did, that he had already arrived before them.

The pathway narrowed considerably as they approached the entrance to Faron and as they continued, they saw the first sign of resistance, two Bokoblins of the familiar Ganondorf variety guarding it armed with spiked clubs. The two imp-like monsters were no match for Link and Zelda and were easily trampled as Link guided Epona through path towards Faron Province. Past the Bokoblins was an open gate that led into Faron Province, itself. With no further resistance, Link and Zelda went on through the gate and entered the province.

Faron Province was an area that was covered with woodlands. The forests were thick and impassable save for the trail that Link and Zelda were currently traveling on. While there were two branches to the path not too far away, and one of them would take them to the Temple of Time so that they could retrieve the Master Sword, for the moment, they just wanted to take the path to the peaceful Ordon Province. Sadly, that was going to be a little more difficult than imagined, for Link spied a number of Bokoblins on the path in front of them.

Zelda the nodded and Link then looked forward and got out his old Bulblin bow and spurred Epona onward, directing her towards Ordon Bridge. It did not take long for them to get through that area of the woods and come to a large bridge. Along the way, they encountered a few Bulblins, which they casually cast aside when Epona trampled over them. The bridge, called Ordon Bridge by the people of Ordon Village, crossed a large gorge that served as the border between Faron Province and Ordona Province. Once they crossed the bridge, they would no longer be in Hyrule proper. Guarding the bridge, though, were two Bulblin archers. Link grimaced as the sight and he sheathed his sword and drew out his bow. He reigned in Epona and came to a stop out of the Bulblin's likely firing range. Link did not want to take any chances, though, so he backed off a bit, hoping that the Bulblins had not spotted him. So far, though, it seemed as if they were completely unaware of his presence and he wanted it to stay that way until he was ready to deal with them.

He proceeded to string an arrow to his bow and pull back on its string. Once that was done, he gave a light kick to the sides of Epona, nudging her forward into a walk. A slightly harder kick urged her into a trot as he took aim at the Bulblins just as soon as he was within range. Once he was in range, he let fly with his arrow. The arrow soared through the air and struck the first Bulblin squarely in the chest. This got the attention of the other as he frantically drew his bow and attempted to string an arrow to it as Link approached. Link did the same, but his motion was far smoother than the goblin-like enemy's, showing his experience with the weapon, as well as revealing the Bulblin's inexperience, at least in pressure situations. The hero calmly strung the arrow to his bow and once that was done, pulled back on the bow. Once he had pulled it back to full tension, he took aim at the remaining Bulblin, who was still struggling to string his arrow to his bow and get an accurate bead on the Hylian and his companion, he let fly with the arrow. The Bulblin never had a chance and was taken down before he could even pull back the string of his bow. Once the two Bulblins were dealt with, Link guided Epona across the Ordon Bridge.

Along the bridge, Link spied two more Bulblin archers on the other side. Already having his bow out, he simply drew another arrow and strung it to the bow. These Bulblins had either been more alert, or had heard Link take out their comrades on the other side of the bridge, for these archers were ready for the hero. They drew back on their bowstrings and let fly with arrows towards the hero as he was about to let fly with his own arrow. Their arrows went wide of their mark, though, and Link did not even have to duck as he fired his first arrow into the Bulblin on the right. He scored a center of mass hit and took down the archer with his shot. Wasting no time, he strung another arrow to his bow as the remaining Bulblin fired a second arrow his way. This one was much more on target, though, and it forced Link and Zelda to duck in order to avoid taking a hit. Still, they managed to avoid the arrow and Link pulled back on his bowstring before the other Bulblin could draw another arrow. As soon as he had a bead on the monster, he let fly with his arrow. Just as had happened so many times before, his aim was true and the arrow scored a hit on the Bulblin in the chest, felling the creature with that single shot. As soon as the Bulblins were dealt with, Link had Epona set a leisurely pace as he crossed into Ordona Province and enter Ordon Woods.

Upon entering Ordon Province, the first thing that he and Zelda noticed was that there were no enemies present within the province to speak of. Indeed, the province looked to be far more cheerful than any of the other provinces. The grass was green and the sky was clear. Sunlight shown through the canopy of trees and the lush, green, verdant woods stretched as far as the eye could see on either side. The path, itself, was brown and relatively thin. The trail, however, was wide enough to accommodate their passage, along with a number of other horses walking abreast.

As they entered, the first thing Link looked for was a small opening in the path to his right. Zelda noticed that he was searching for something and asked, "What is it?"

"I'm making sure I don't rush past Ordon Spring. I want to fill my empty bottle with Great Fairy's Tears," came the answer.

Indeed, he did not ride far before spotting the opening on his right. He went on through and quickly found the entrance to the spring. The entrance to Ordon Spring, just as with the entrance to Eldin Spring, had what looked to be a shiny marble path leading to the spring, itself. The spring had crisp, clear water along with a small waterfall that Link could step up effortlessly. A dozen or so pink fairies, small balls of light with four translucent wings, flew about the spring, heedless of the arrival of him, Zelda, and Epona. In the center of the spring was a large glow of light that Zelda thought was the Light Spirit Ordona. Link, however, had a feeling that it was someone different, though. He took Epona into the spring and had her step into the water in order to rejuvenate her just in case she had strained herself during the trip to Ordon Province. Link and Zelda dismounted from Epona so they could bathe in the spring water, for Zelda, and so that Link could talk to the Great Fairy.

While Zelda and Epona bathed in the water, Link went to the light at the center of the spring. As he approached the light, he heard a female voice echo around him, saying, "Welcome, Hero, to Ordon Spring. If you have an empty bottle I can fill it with Great Fairy's Tears if you are willing."

"I am," Link answered. "And I have one," he said as he emptied one of the bottles with a Red potion. "May I have some?" he asked politely.

"Yes," the Great Fairy answered.

The light at the center of the spring then became blindingly bright for an instant and soon, the Great Fairy appeared before him. She appeared young, only Link's age at the oldest. She had long green hair, as well as the long, pointed ears of a Hylian. She also had numerous ethereal translucent wings behind her. She had a light rainbow colored cloth wrapped around her wait and was topless, with only her hair covering her body, keeping her somewhat decent. She approached the hero, who presented her with the bottle, uncorking it, and she filled it with her tears, which magically appeared right inside the bottle. As soon as the bottle was filled, Link placed the cork back on the bottle and placed it back in his sack. Once he did so, the Great Fairy told him, "If ever you need my assistance again, visit any spring and I will send fairies to that spring."

Link nodded and the Great Fairy disappeared back into the golden light at the center of the spring. Once she disappeared from sight, another bright light shined forth around the spring. Link looked ahead and saw a golden Ordon Goat walk before him. The goat was large, and had a variety of markings on its body that were a different shade of gold. It also had a large ball of golden light shining forth between its large horns, which came together to form a complete circle above its head. Link gazed at Ordona while Zelda marveled at the sight of the enormous Light Spirit. Ordona simply stood before Link and made no apparent expression.

"Greetings Link," the Light Spirit said. "It has been a while since we have last seen one another."

Link nodded in agreement, saying nothing, not knowing what to say.

"You are in pursuit of Ganondorf and need the Master Sword to defeat him, am I right?"

Link nodded. "I am," he said. "Is there something I need to know?"

"The Master Sword is a powerful weapon and is one of two weapons capable of slaying the great evil that is Ganondorf. As you know, the road to it is not free of hazards, but you should be careful as you travel that road. Ganondorf's minions know of the sword's location and are waiting for you."

"We'll be ready."

"Link, there is something else," Ordona began. "Keep Zelda close, for Ganondorf needs her in order to revive Demise, just as Ghirahim did. Also, know this, the outcome of your adventure here and what you decide to do afterwards will have ramifications for not only this world, but for another world as well."

Link nodded and then went back to Epona and Zelda. He mounted the horse and waited for Zelda to do the same. Once they had mounted Epona, Link turned the horse around and guided her out of the Light Spring. He then turned to his right and followed the rest of the path until he came to the gates of Ordon Village. As they approached the gate, they saw that no one was standing guard, and that none of the kids in the village had left it while playing. As such, Link and Zelda proceeded to ride into the village so Link could acquire the tools and weapons that he would need in order to complete his quest and defeat Ganondorf once and for all.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10:

Link and Zelda rode into Ordon Village and they looked around the peaceful village as Link guided Epona towards his house, which was not far from the entrance to the village to the right as he walked in. It was a tree house that was built into a large hill-like tree. There was a ladder that led to the house on the top of the first layer and Zelda had a feeling that the hill actually served as a basement to Link's house. There was a green flag with a golden triangular symbol hanging above the entrance to his door that seemed to be connected to a hangar or possibly a doorbell of some sort. Above that, on the top of the house there was a window that the occupant could look through. Next to the house was a simple sign that said: _Link's House_.

Link pulled up to his house and when he was close to the ladder, dismounted from Epona. Zelda quickly followed him and he handed her his bow and quiver. "Take this," he told her. "Ordon Village looks peaceful, and it's unlikely that Ganondorf has sent any of his forces to attack it, but we should be prepared just in case he _did_ send some of his minions after us."

Zelda nodded as she accepted the bow and quiver. "I'll keep watch while you go and get your gear."

She then slung the quiver over her back and stood next to Epona, who went to nibble at some grass near the house. Link patted her on the head, causing Epona to raise her head and rub it against his face before going back down to nibble on more grass. He smiled and then walked the necessary few steps towards his house's ladder. He then climbed the ladder all the way up to the porch and proceeded to walk on in.

The interior of Link's house was furnished with a number of tables and even a bookshelf. While the walls looked to be made of brick, there were signs that the house was built into the side of a tree, such as the branches that outlined the doorway leading into the house. There were also other areas that looked to be lined with wood. There were a couple pictures of Link with his ranch hand, Fado, from the time he worked as a wrangler at Ordon Ranch. There were also other items hanging in the wall, such as a pitchfork and a fishing rod. To his right, there was a ladder that led to a platform that had that had a series of pictures on it, along with a small bed. On the other side of the platform was another ladder that led to the top of his house, where there was a window that allowed him to look out over the rest of the village. In the middle of the floor was a blue chest that his friend, Rusl, had left for him. It contained a wooden sword that had been the first weapon that Link had used when he had gone on his adventure to save Hyrule from Zant and the Twilight Invasion. Link had no use for the sword now, so he left the chest alone. Behind the chest was a fireplace that had a pot over the fireplace, though there was no fire due to Link having been away for so long. He took a quick look around to make sure that everything was still in order, and to make sure that his lantern was still in the house. He quickly found the lantern near the kitchen area. Going over to it, he grabbed the lantern, knowing that he would need it in order to see once he entered the basement of his house. Once that was finished, he went to the far end of the room.

At the far end of the first floor was a ladder that led down to the basement of the house. He headed over to the ladder and quickly climbed down it. As he climbed down the ladder, it got progressively darker and darker until he was unable to see anything. Once he reached the bottom, he got out his lantern and lit it. The lantern sprang to life and cast a glow around the entire room. There was large mirror in the room that cast back Link's reflection. He did not stop to admire himself, though, as he scanned the area for the equipment that he had stored down here in the various treasure chests that were now visible. He went to each chest and opened them, one by one. After opening each chest, he got out their contents and placed them in the strange sack, whose magic allowed him to store such a large array of items and equipment. Once he was finished gathering all of his equipment, he went back to the ladder and climbed it. Once he climbed the ladder, he reappeared on the first floor of his house, where he quickly extinguished his lantern. Having gathered what he needed from his house, he proceeded to leave the house, giving it one final check to make sure that everything was still in place.

Upon exiting his house, he returned to Epona to check on her and Zelda. Zelda maintained her disguise as a Sheikah warrior, not bothering to remove it due to not wanting to draw attention to herself from anyone in the village. Had she gone down to the town center where all of the activity was, though, she would have found that her attire would have drawn a lot of attention from the local population. He went over to Zelda, prompting her to turn back to him, informing him, "So far, there have been no traces of any of Ganondorf's minions pursuing us into Ordona Province."

Link nodded. He then proceeded to take the path that led to the main center of the village. As he proceeded, Zelda called after him, asking, "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to see if there's anything new in Sera's shop," he called back.

Zelda saw no problem with that, but she was concerned since she wanted to him to get the Master Sword and take down Ganondorf as quickly as possible. She simply nodded, indicating that she did not have a problem with his plan, as he headed down towards the village center.

When he entered the village center, he noticed that several of the villagers were out doing various jobs and chores. He instantly spotted two children, Colin and Talo, participating in a mock sword duel, each using blunt wooden swords. Talo wore a white tunic and blue short-like pants along with a red headband and had brown hair. He was also finely muscled for his age. Talo had a confident to almost arrogant expression on his face. Colin, on the other hand, looked somewhat meek and mild, but he was still string, parrying Talo's thrust expending minimal energy. Colin had blond hair and blue eyes and wore a white tunic with black short-like pants. Despite Talo's aggressiveness, he was not making much headway against Colin's defense. The younger, and more defensive minded boy was easily able to avoid or parry Talo's strikes. It was getting so Talo's aggressive strategy was beginning to take its toll on him.

"Come on!" Talo called, which almost sounded like a whine, to Colin, breathing heavily. "Stop playing defense and go on the attack already!"

"Why?" Colin replied mildly. "My plan's working perfectly. It would be stupid of me to go charging in against a stronger opponent like you."

Talo gave a smug smile as he neared the milder boy. He then went to perform a thrust but telegraphed it too much, giving Colin ample time to avoid it and perform a counterattack, allowing him to lightly slap his sword across Talo's back. The other boy turned and glared at Colin, who did not smile, but did not frown either. He gave a strained smile and looked at Colin, asking, "How is it you always manage to beat me in these sparring sessions?"

"It's because you're overly aggressive," came a familiar voice from behind the boys. Link looked over at source of the familiar voice and found Rusl standing next to Uli, Rusl's wife. She had short blond hair like Colin and was holding Colin's baby sister in her arms. "You're strong, but you're too aggressive and predictable. You have good form and technique, but your predictability and over aggressiveness allows a more defensive opponent to wear you down."

"Got it," Talo answered. He then gave a grimace to Colin, who simply smiled kindly at the boy.

Rusl then looked up and noticed Link standing there. "It looks like you two aren't the only swordfighters out and about in the village."

Colin and Talo turned around and saw Link standing there, gazing at the display. Talo immediately dropped his wooden sword and ran to Link, exclaiming, "Wow, you're back! How were your adventures? What were they like? Did you learn anymore moves to teach us?"

Colin went up to him and said, "It's good to see you again, Link. And thank you for earlier. We would never have survived without your help."

"It was no problem at all," Link answered.

"Anyway, thank you for the help. Is there anything I can do to repay you?"

Link smiled. "Just live a good and happy life," he answered, not able to think of anything better to say. It was then that Talo came back.

"Are you staying for long?" Talo asked.

Link shook his head in a melancholy fashion. Colin noticed his expression and asked, "What's wrong Link?"

"An enemy I thought to be dead has returned. My stay here will be short. I only came back to get my equipment from my house. Now that I have it, I'm just going to check out Sera's Sundries in order to see if she has anything new that could help on my journey."

"Who's the enemy?" Colin asked.

"A Gerudo thief named Ganondorf," Link answered.

"Ganondorf," Rusl stated, thinking back to the invasion of Twilight. "Isn't he the guy who was pulling the strings behind Zant?"

Link nodded.

"I thought he was killed," Rusl stated.

"He _was_, for a time," Link answered. "Apparently, the Master Sword was withdrawn before his death was irreversible."

"Well, you're in luck regarding access to the Sacred Grove," Rusl told him. "When Shad, Ashei, and Auru went to the Sacred Grove, they built a system of bridges that spanned the large tree branches between Faron Woods and the Sacred Grove so you won't need a Golden Cucco in order to cross the span."

"That's good to hear," Link stated, suddenly elated that he had relatively easy access to the Sacred Grove and the Temple of Time. "Did they have any trouble with the Skull Kid?"

Rusl shook his head. "Their trip, both in and out, was very smooth so you shouldn't face any difficulty. However, that was before Ganondorf returned. Who knows what you might face now. If you need any help, I could accompany you."

"I'll be fine," Link said. "Besides, if we fail, Ordon Village will need a protector."

Rusl smiled and looked at Colin and Talo. "They've got two very talented future fighters right there."

Link returned Rusl's smile. He shook Rusl's hand and waved to Uli as he proceeded to wave goodbye to Colin and Talo, who immediately started another mock battle, with Talo taking Rusl's advice and fighting much more evenly with Colin than he had the first time. He then looked out into the town, quickly spotting Sera's Sundries.

As he approached the store, which was a small single floor building made out of wood. He saw by the sign that it had yet to be bought by Malo Mart. He did not know whether or not it was because Malo did not want to buy out the store due to the fact that it was in his home village and he knew Sera, or if he simply did not see any value in buying it out at this point in time. He went to the store and proceeded to enter.

The interior of the store was made of wood, though it did have a glossy finish. Sitting behind the counter in front of him was the shop's proprietor, Sera. Sera was a large woman with brown hair and she wore a white shirt. There were a couple books on the table, along with a picture of the cat that was sitting near her. The cat, named Link, after the hero, had brown and black fur on its back along with a white underbelly and paws. Link, the cat, was sitting on the table next to a bowl, eating a fish. Link remembered getting the cat a fish so that he and Sera could be reunited after a disagreement. At the far end of the table was a large jug that likely contained milk. Link noticed the picture of Sera's daughter, Beth, hanging on the wall as well. Thinking about it, he was surprised that he had not seen Beth with Talo and Colin when he had entered the village. Behind Sera was a wall full of merchandise for customers. Sera looked up and noticed that Link was standing at the entrance.

"Well if it isn't Link," she blurted as she shot up from her place at the table. "How long has it been? Six months?"

Link nodded. "How has everything been in the village?" Link asked.

"Just fine," Sera answered. "It's been quiet, which is just how we like it here." She then focused on Link and asked, "And with you?"

"I'm here on business," Link answered in a dour tone.

"I take it things are not so great outside of the village."

Link shook his head.

"So, what may I do to help?"

"Have you gotten anything new in the store in the six months I've been gone?" Link asked.

Sera smiled. "We have several things," she answered.

She then directed Link to the wall behind her. On it, he found the usual merchandise such as lantern oil, milk, and bee larvae. She also had some sticks. When Link took a look at them, she told him, "These are one of the new items we have here. They are called Deku Sticks. They make good torches and a good weapon in a tight situation should your sword be unavailable." Link looked at them but figured that they would not be all that useful considering the fact that he already had a lantern. Seeing that he was not interested, she quickly added, "That's not all I have here, though." She then directed him to a supply of bottles on the wall. "We have some new empty bottles that just came in, along with a supply of potions. Normally, the bottles would be fifty Rupees, each, but for you, they're on the house."

Link thanked her and indicated that he wanted to get a bottle. She then went over to the shelf and got a bottle for him. She handed him the bottle and then said, "We've just got in something special, too."

"What is it?" Link asked.

She then went over to the large jug on the table and revealed its contents. It was pearl-colored and it sparkled "It's a rare form of jelly that comes from Chus," Sera explained. "When you drink it, it restores all of your health and also doubles the strength of your sword for a brief period of time. You can only store one of these Rare Chu Jellies at any one time, so make sure you save it for occasions when you really need it. The Rare Chu Jelly costs one hundred Rupees, but you'll need an empty bottle hold it."

Link had no problem producing the Orange Rupee that would pay for the Rare Chu Jelly. He presented Sera with the Rupee and she went over to the jug and took out a serving of the jelly. She then carefully poured it into Link's bottle. Once that was finished, she put the cork back on the bottle and handed it over to him. He then took the bottle and stuffed it into his sack. Once Link was finished, Sera asked, "Is there anything else I can get for you?"

Link shook his head. "No, thank you," he answered after taking one final glance around the shop.

He then turned to leave and as he did so, Sera called after him, "Thanks Link. Don't stay away from the village for too long, ya hear? Everyone really misses you."

He smiled and then departed from the shop. Once he left, he turned to head back to his house, and Zelda, when he heard a familiar cry. "Heeeey!"

He turned and saw a blue-furred Ordon Goat charging towards him, the antlers that formed a complete circle over its head giving it away as an Ordon Goat, rather than an ordinary goat from the various provinces of Hyrule. Link braced himself and held out his hands, ready to intercept the charging goat. He had done this many times before, and not just with goats, but with charging Gorons as well. The goat lowered its head as it charged and it headed straight towards the Hylian hero. The goat charged straight into the waiting hands of Link, who braced himself once the goat made contact and held firm. He was forced back a few feet but planted his feet down and skidded to a halt. Try as the goat might, it was unable to budge the hero. Link then turned his grip to the right and wrestled the goat to the ground gently enough so that it did not sustain any injury. He then lay on top of it, pinning it to the ground until the goat calmed down. Once it was calm, Link retreated from the goat, allowing it to rise, which it did. It then slowly paced around the area, nibbling at some of the grass in the area. Link then looked back from where the goat had come from and saw his old friend Fado, a human man of around his age running after him. He had a very muscular build and wore a tan tunic as he came charging after the goat. Once he was within sight of the goat, he noticed that his friend and ranch hand, Link was with the goat. He quickly went up to Link and thanked him, saying, "Thanks for stopping that goat. It's just like old times, huh, Link."

Link agreed, nodding. He looked at his village wistfully. He had missed it during his adventuring, and yet, he still felt as if there was something missing here, as well as out in Hyrule as well, and he could not quite put his finger on it. Fado looked at his friend's musing and noticed his expression. "You're not staying long, are you?"

Link shook his head. "I'm just about ready to go," he replied. "An evil is gaining strength and is putting a plan in motion. I have to stop it."

"Just like last time," Fado said, remembering how Link had been the one to stop the Twilight Incursion. While Ordon Village had been spared being placed under Twilight during Zant's invasion, the stories told by Rusl and the children, particularly Colin and Ilia, had been enough to convince everyone that things had been really bad out in Hyrule. "Do you know when, or if, you'll be coming back?"

Link shook his head again. "I see," Fado answered. He had suspected as much. Not only had he viewed Link as a good friend, but he could not deny the Hylian's wrangling skills, as demonstrated when Link stopped the runaway goat. Not only that, but Link had a great rapport with the other children in the village, particularly with Ilia. He always had time to help the other children in the village. Things had been different with him gone.

Before Link went to depart, he assisted Fado in putting a collar and leash on the runaway goat one last time. Once he was finished, he went to leave, but not before Fado called after him, "Good luck on your journey, wherever it takes you."

Link looked back at Fado and answered, "Thank you, Fado. And good luck at the ranch."

Fado gave a smile. "Maybe I'll be able to teach one of the other kids how to be a wrangler," he mused aloud as Link turned to head back to Zelda. He then went to lead the goat back to the ranch.

Meanwhile, Link departed the village center and made his way back to Epona, taking the short path back to his house. He did not meet anyone else from the village on the way back. He figured that they were busy with their own chores and work. Inwardly, he felt that it was better that way. He had wanted his return to be as quick and quiet as possible, for he did not want to disappoint his friends.

As he got within sight of Epona and Zelda, he noticed that there were two other people with them. He instantly recognized both of them: one, the older muscular, yet heavyset man with gray hair wearing a white tunic, being Bo, the mayor of Ordon Village; the second, a girl of about sixteen to seventeen years of age. She had dark blond to almost light brown hair and blue eyes. She wore a cream colored sleeveless tunic and brown pants. Link smiled and stood in awe for a second as he gazed at his childhood friend, Ilia. There was no denying that she was beautiful. However, her physical beauty was only part of the reason why Link was so close to her, as well as the other children, particularly the boys in the village, liked her so much as well. She was a very nice person and was close to nature. She was kind, gentle, and thoughtful of others, much like Link. She gazed back at him and she looked downcast.

"I take it that your quiet return means that you are not going to stay here for long, if at all," she said in a melancholy tone.

Link regretfully shook his head.

"Something has come up in Hyrule again, hasn't it," Mayor Bo said, glancing towards Zelda. "Otherwise, you would not have come here with the Queen of Hyrule."

Zelda's eyes flashed from underneath her bandages as she gazed at the Ordonian mayor. How had he deduced that she was Zelda? Link was also surprised that he had made the connection. Bo looked at Zelda and told her, "News of the events of Hyrule Castle and the rest of Hyrule have reached ears even of those outside of Hyrule. Rusl told us that there was an attack on the castle a day ago and I heard that you and Link knew each other. Besides, you bear the same mark as Link," he added, looking at the Triforce mark on her hand.

Zelda looked down at her hand and saw her Triforce mark glowing. Link did the same and for a moment, they dreaded that Ganondorf had found them. Their fear subsided when the marks stopped glowing. Ilia turned to Link and asked, "How bad is it?"

"Very," he answered. "Ganondorf has returned."

"Ganondorf?" she asked in a surprisingly controlled tone, despite her eyes going wide, betraying her surprise. "I thought he was dead."

"We all did," Zelda said, not bothering to disguise her voice. "Hopefully, we'll be able to remedy the situation soon enough."

"Be careful in your travels," Bo cautioned. "There have been reports of a number of monsters in Faron Woods, as well as the Lost Woods, and not just the usual Bokoblins, Bulblins, or Skull Kid Puppets, either. There have been reports of Wolfos, Stalfos, and Deku Scrubs in those areas as well. Be on your guard."

"We will be," Link answered.

"You be careful on your journey, Link," Ilia told him. "We don't want to lose you."

While Ilia was, indeed, speaking for everyone in Ordon Village when she made that last statement, Link could tell that she meant it just as much for herself as she did for the others in the village.

"Don't worry, Ilia," Link told her. "I don't intend to die anytime soon."

Ilia smiled. She then looked over at Epona and thoroughly checked the horse from head to toe. Once she was finished, she noted, "At least Epona seems to be in good shape." Focusing back on Link, she added, "You take good care of Epona on your journey." She then whispered into Epona's ear, "And you take good care of Link, too."

She then pet Epona, who rubbed her nose against Ilia's torso and gave a ruffle of affection. She then backed away, allowing Link to mount the horse. Once he was on Epona, he directed her towards the exit of the village. As he gave Epona a light kick to get her going, Ilia called out to him, "Go get him, Link."

Link turned back and smiled, nodding. He then turned around and he left the village, heading directly towards Ordon Spring. As he departed the village, Ilia gave a sigh and looked downcast at the ground. Bo, seeing her reaction, asked, "What is it?"

"Oh," she said, rocketing her face up to try to look natural, her father's question surprising her. After a few moments, she answered, "I just have a feeling that I'm not going to see him again."

Bo then went over to her and wrapped his right arm around her. She then hugged him in return, smiling. As they went to head to their home, though, Ilia still could not shake the feeling that that would be the last time she would ever see Link.

Link and Zelda rode through Ordona Province, quickly passing Ordon Spring. As they passed the spring, a brilliant flash of light appeared from the spring. Link and Zelda immediately dismounted from Epona and went to investigate the flash. They went towards the spring and saw an enormous shining golden Ordon Goat standing in the spring. There were also golden markings on the body of the goat and had a golden ball of light between its large horns, which like an Ordon Goat's, came together to form a complete circle above its head. Link and Zelda recognized the spirit as being Ordona, the Light Spirit of Ordona Province. Ordona walked towards them and they immediately stopped.

"Do not be alarmed," Ordona said in a calming tone. "I have come to give you something that was destroyed earlier."

A brilliant flash of light shown around them and soon, the bow that had been destroyed earlier reappeared in Zelda's hands, completely repaired. There was also a Light Arrow already strung to the bow. "Use these Light Arrows for when Ghirahim returns."

"Ghirahim?" Zelda blurted, her eyes wide with surprise. "But he's dead! The sword was destroyed!" Link merely scowled and clenched his hands into a fist.

"Evil like that is never so easily destroyed by conventional means," Ordona answered sagely. "You will need the Master Sword in order to destroy Ghirahim permanently."

"Can Ghirahim revive Demise?" Zelda asked. "His ritual failed when he used it on me."

"No, it did not. Not really," Ordona answered. "While Ghirahim's initial attempt to revive Demise was unsuccessful, he _was_ able to get what he needed in order to bring back his master should he be released from the Master Sword." Turning to Link, it continued, "Link, you must be more careful than anyone who has ever wielded the blade before, for Ganondorf wants Demise to be revived as well, albeit for very different reasons from Ghirahim."

"What will happen if Demise is summoned?" Link asked. "If he is summoned, can he be beaten?"

"Demise is beatable," Ordona answered, "but only by weapons with the Power to Repel Evil. And there is still Ganondorf to deal with. Ganondorf also wants Demise to be revived, though, as stated before, he has a different purpose for the Demon King. Be on your guard. Your enemies will come at you from sideways, rather than face you directly, especially Ganondorf. He knows more about the legends of the Master Sword than he did before, and he has been planning this battle for quite a while. But do not despair. You will be able to defeat your enemies and save Hyrule, as well as your friends."

Link nodded, but also looked quizzically at the Light Spirit. From the way it was speaking, it appeared to know something about the outcome of his adventure despite the fact that he had not fought or defeated Ganondorf yet. He would not worry about this right now, though. He just looked over at Zelda, who accepted the Light Arrows and the bow. He then watched as Ordona retreated back into the spring. Once it was gone, Link and Zelda went back to Epona, mounted her, and they continued towards Ordon Bridge.

Link and Zelda arrived at Ordon Bridge and saw two Bokoblins guarding it. He took out his Hero's Bow and notched an arrow to the string. He pulled back on the string and let fly with a single arrow. The arrow flew from the bow and struck the Bokoblin squarely in the chest. The Bokoblin fell over, dead, the arrow protruding from his chest alerting his companion to the fact that they were under attack. Before the other Bokoblin could act, though, Link fired once more and took down the second Bokoblin. Before continuing and crossing the bridge, though, Link wanted to make sure that there were no other enemies waiting for him. He took out his Hawkeye and put it on. Looking ahead across the bridge, he found several Purple Bokoblins that were closely grouped together. Link suppressed a smile as he realized that it would be easy to deal with them with a single Bomb Arrow. He tied a bomb to an arrow and pulled back on the string. He then took aim at the gathering of Bokoblins and let fly with his Bomb Arrow. The Bomb Arrow arced through the air, smoke trailing the arrow as the fuse burned. The arrow landed among the Bokoblins and immediately detonated, engulfing the Bokoblins in the blast. What was left of their bodies were hurled from the center of the explosion before they darkened and exploded into what looked to be woodchips. He then scanned the surrounding area to make sure that there were no other enemy forces up ahead of them. Once they were sure that the way was clear, Link guided Epona across the Ordon Bridge.

After crossing the bridge, Link and Zelda rode back into Faron Province. Not too far ahead, they came across a group of Bokoblins. As soon as Epona came trotting along the path through Faron Woods that would eventually lead them to the Temple of Time, a group of Bokoblins heard Link and Zelda approach and glanced at each other, issuing several grunts in their own language. They promptly rose and picked up their clubs and turned towards the source of the sound and saw a horse with two riders approaching. Despite seeing that both riders were armed, they thought that the riders would be easy marks for mugging, and even if they were a little harder than usual, a horse of Epona's pedigree looked like it would be a very valuable prize. Wasting no time, they rushed towards Link and Zelda, holding their blades high in the air, issuing whoops of pleasure and intimidation. Link and Zelda merely glanced at each other and shrugged as Link drew his sword and Zelda, her dagger. Link then spurred Epona forward, having her pace increase until it was a full on canter. It was now that the Bokoblins realized their folly, for the two riders were not only armed, but they were also ready to fight. The Bokoblins did not back down, though, and prepared to swing their cleavers when Link got within range in order to knock him and Zelda off the horse and hopefully allow them to capture the horse, as well as rummage through their person to see what valuables they had on them. Their plan did not go well as Epona did not slow down in the slightest. At the last second, the two Bokoblins stepped aside, or tried to since one of them failed to do so and was trampled beneath the hooves of Epona. The one that did step aside did not last much longer, for as he tried to swing his cleaver at Link, the Hylian hero took one swing with his sword and promptly cut down the imp-like monster. With the first two Bokoblins having been dealt with, Link ushered Epona forward so they could deal with the rest.

The rest of the Bokoblins were no challenge for Link and Zelda, either. They mostly just let Epona ride over them, allowing her to trample them beneath her hooves. Those that were wise enough to step aside but still foolish enough to continue to attack were dispatched either by timely and powerful sword swings from Link, or well-aimed arrows fired by Zelda. By the time they had ridden past, not a single living Bokoblin remained in the area.

As they rode past, Zelda noticed several plants along the side of the path that Link was doing his best to avoid. They had green stems with large blue bulbs that opened vertically into mouths. They were stuck to the spot they were planted in so they were not all that great a threat to Link. Still, they were something that Zelda had never seen before. "What are those plants?" she asked.

"Those are Deku Babas," Link answered. "They are carnivorous plants that grow out of the ground as you approach and lunge towards you. They can't walk so we should be fine as long as we don't get too close."

Just as he said that, though, he got a little too close and a Deku Baba popped out of the ground and opened its mouth as it attempted to lunge at Epona. A quick slice from Link's sword neutralized the threat, cutting the head off of the stem. Link continued to keep a sharp eye out so that he could avoid most of the Deku Babas on the path, noticing that there were a larger number of the enemies than he had encountered before, at least in this area of Faron Woods.

Link followed the trail through Faron Woods and eventually came to a dark cave known as the Lantern Cave. The trip was free of any real incident, with only a couple of Bokoblins patrolling the trail. They were easily cast aside when Epona rode over them. Still, Zelda and Link were wary as they continued on towards the Lantern Cave since there were several areas that would be good spots to set up ambushes. It was not long before Link managed to spot the cave off in the distance. There was also a small stall there set up by a man Link knew as Coro. Coro was not there, at the moment, so Link decided that it would not be a bad idea to have Epona stay while they went through the cave and later into the Lost Woods. He turned Epona towards the small stall, which sold Lantern Oil for the trip through the cave and marsh up ahead, and directed her to it. As soon as they arrived near Coro's, Link pulled in Epona's reins and slowed the horse to a stop. Zelda looked over at him and asked, "Why are we stopping here?"

"The Lantern Cave is dark and we'll need a light in order to see while we. There are also areas of it that are narrow too narrow for Epona to fit."

Link and Zelda then dismounted Epona. After dismounting from her, Link went over and pet Epona, telling her to remain here unless there was danger and if there was, to go back to Ordon Village. Once he was done, he walked over to Zelda and the two of them proceeded to make their way to the cave, the lantern lighting their way. As soon as they came to the cave, they did not stop for a moment and, instead, went on through.

True to its name, the Lantern Cave would have needed a lit lantern in order for one to navigate it successfully, for it was exceedingly dark. Fortunately, Link had his lantern already lit. However, even with the light of the lantern, they could only see several feet in any direction. Upon entering the cave, Link drew his sword and remained alert, for he knew that the cave was home to numerous rats and bat-like Keese, for the sounds of the animals echoed throughout the cave. Despite having a bow, he did not want to waste the few arrows he had remaining on rats and bats. As such, he readied his slingshot since it would be perfect for dealing with any rats or Keese that tried to attack. The first of the rats soon scurried out onto the path. The rat looked emaciated and desperate for any type of food, and it looked like it would try Hylian in a heartbeat. Link's suspicions of the rat were soon confirmed when it scurried towards him and Zelda, heedless of the size difference between the two. He ended the rat's charge, though, with a single swipe of his sword, cutting the rat in half. "Be careful," he told Zelda. "There are a lot of rats and Keese in this cave."

"I'm ready for them," Zelda answered, transforming into her Sheik disguise and readying a volley of needles for dealing with any rodents or Keese that came her way.

The duo proceeded to make their way through the cave with Link leading the way since he was familiar with it and knew the path to get through. He constantly held his slingshot and out in front of him, having a seed in the cup, as he led Zelda through the cave, shooting down any bat or rat that came too close to them. Navigating the cave was not too difficult for the duo, since Link was always ready and any vermin that tried to come up from behind were cut down by either Link or Zelda. The rest of the way was not too difficult and Link even found a few treasures in the cave, such as several chests full of Rupees.

After the brief trek, they emerged from the cave and came upon a swamp not too far away. After emerging from the darkness, the two made their way away from the cave. The swamp was full of dangerous gases and would have been impossible to cross without the assistance of Zelda as she conjured another Fire spell to burn away the gases. Straight ahead, across from the swamp, was a path that led to the Forest Temple. To the right of the swamp, though, was a bridge that led across the roots of gigantic trees that overlooked a large chasm that separated Faron Woods from the Lost Woods. Ignoring the swamp, Link and Zelda headed towards the bridge.

When they arrived at the bridge, two Wolfos, wolf-like enemies that had glowing eyes, emerged from the ground and came right at Link. Link had encountered White Wolfos before, but he had never seen the normal type before. Despite strongly resembling wolves, there was none of the nobility of the former in these creatures. Their expressions made them look like mockeries of wolves. Link drew his sword and waited for them to strike. The two Wolfos came at him and reared up onto their hind legs and slashed at him with their front paws, each of which had long, sharp claws. They missed with their slashes and spun around, revealing their backsides, but still standing upright. Link took this opportunity to perform a jump attack and killed both of the Wolfos with single hits. As soon as he inflicted fatal damage to them, they burst into an unnatural green flame that promptly consumed them.

When the Wolfos were beaten, Link and Zelda proceeded to cross the bridge. Not too far ahead, Link spied a Stalfos standing in front of them. The Stalfos was nothing more than a skeleton armed with a sword and a shield. Zelda, not wanting Link to get stuck in a swordfight with the skeleton, powered another ball of flame. Link moved to the side as she unleashed her fireball upon the Stalfos. The ball of flame rocketed towards the skeleton faster than Link would have expected. It soon struck the Stalfos and it exploded, engulfing the Stalfos in flames. Despite being made of bones, the bones appeared to be quite flammable and the Stalfos was set ablaze. The skeleton must have been highly vulnerable to Fire magic, or it promptly fell to the ground and let the flames burn it until it was reduced to ashes. Both Link and Zelda grinned as they saw the Stalfos get incinerated by the flame, especially Link since he knew that he would not have to use up any of his bombs in order to destroy them as long as Zelda was with him and she could use her Fire magic to destroy them. Once the Stalfos was beaten, they continued along the bridge.

The trek across the bridges that led into the Sacred Grove was incredibly easy. Link cut down any Keese that got too close to them, while Zelda dealt with the Stalfos using her magical fireballs for even those that wore armor besides their shields would still burst into flames and be reduced to ashes. Each enemy fell with ease and the trek seemed more tedious than dangerous. After crossing the third bridge, they eventually came to the Lost Woods.

The trees that made up the Sacred Grove were incredibly large. Each branch could easily support multiple people, making both Link and Zelda aware of the fact that the woods were easily defensible. Zelda had heard rumors that one of the exits to the Sacred Grove led into another area of Faron Province called the Kokiri Forest, where a race of children that never aged lived. She did not know if the legends were true or not, but there had been rumors that the Hero of Time had been raised in the Kokiri Forest before coming to Hyrule. Not only were the trees in the forest large, the forest was also incredibly dense. Despite the size of the trees, there was little room to walk off the trails that had been made through the woods.

As they entered the Sacred Grove, the first thing they did was listen for any music. Link took a few tentative steps forward, not wanting to walk into an ambush. He continued to walk into the center of the small area of trees to see if the Skull Kid would try to play any games with him, or if any ambushes would be sprung. When he arrived, he heard no music and no puppets came down from the massive trees to attack. Looking back at Zelda, he called, "It looks clear, but be careful. There could still be traps in the forest."

Zelda nodded and went to join him, quickly rushing towards him as she looked around, making certain that they were not being watched. When she joined Link, the forest was still clear of enemies. The two glanced at each other, each one wondering if this was the beginning of a game being played by the Skull Kid, or if by some miracle, the area was free of enemies. Seeing that it would be useless to remain here waiting for any traps to be sprung, Zelda told Link, "If there are no enemies here, we should take advantage of our good fortune and get to the Temple of Time as quickly as possible. You lead the way. You know the forest better than I do."

Link nodded and proceeded to take Zelda deeper into the forest. He went through the first makeshift cave, which was only a cave due to the fact that they went through a tunnel of tree roots and emerged in another area of the forest. Zelda followed Link as he made his way up a tree and followed its branches to another section of the forest. This time, though, they encountered a group of puppet-like enemies descend from the tree branches above. Both Link and Zelda could see the strings connected to various parts of the puppets. These puppets looked just like the ones used by the Skull Kid during Link's last trek through the Lost Woods. As the puppets descended, Link noticed a young woman out of the corner of his eye, but she ducked back behind a tree before he could get a closer look. And he would not search for her right now due to the puppets that were dangling before them.

"What are those things?" Zelda blurted.

"They're puppets controlled by the Skull Kid," Link answered.

"Who is the Skull Kid?"

"I am!" a voice exclaimed from above. Link and Zelda looked up and saw what looked to be a young being with a gray face shaped like that of the moon, wearing what looked to be a red cloak and hat that with several multicolored feathers in it standing in a tree. The Skull Kid held a trumpet in his right hand, while holding a lantern with a bright white light in his left. "I'd love to play games with you, but I can tell that you're in a hurry, and I've got things to do, too, so here's the deal. Beat me in a short fight and I'll let you go through the forest. If you can reach me and hit me three times, I'll let you go through."

Link then rushed towards the nearest stump that would take him up the tree. As he did so, four more puppets descended and slashed at Link. He blocked the slash with his shield and he retaliated with a spin attack. The attack was strong enough to bisect each of the puppets that were accosting him. He soon spied the Skull Kid and rushed up the tree and made a beeline towards the Skull Kid. As soon as he found the Skull Kid, he attacked, hitting the Skull Kid with the flat of his blade. The Skull Kid merely smiled. "First blow goes to you, Link. Follow after me if you wish to make it through the woods."

The Skull Kid then vanished and Link went to hurry towards the nearest exit when Zelda stopped him, calling out to him, "Wait!"

Link looked down at her wondering why she called up to him. He could already hear the Skull Kid playing the same song he had during his last trek through the Lost Woods. He also saw a light coming from the tunnel straight ahead. "Link, I can hear a trumpet playing. It sounds like the music is coming from the tunnel on the right."

Link was surprised, for he could see the light coming from the tunnel straight ahead. Still, he decided to follow Zelda's advice and he made his way over to the tunnel on his right. As soon as they entered the next tunnel, they saw the gleam of his lantern shining from behind a tree. Link went over to the Skull Kid and gave him a light tap with his sword. The Skull Kid jumped and he looked back at Link, almost scowling. He then gave a piercing laugh before vanishing. Link looked ahead and saw only one exit in front of him. Carefully listening to his surroundings, he heard the sound of the trumpet coming from the exit in front of him, as well as seeing the light from his lantern. Link and Zelda pursued the Skull Kid and went through the log-like opening into the next chamber.

Link went through the opening and quickly found himself near a hill. At the base of the hill, he saw the Skull Kid. The Skull Kid smiled and he then went up the hill and through a small archway and through the exit to the next area. Link and Zelda could see him make his way up the tree stump and exit through the tunnel up above them. They then followed the tree platforms up to the top of the stump where they could see a bridge leading to the next area of the woods. As they crossed the bridge, more puppets came down to accost them, but they were dealt with by a single spin attack.

Entering the next area, they found the Skull Kid standing on tree in the distance. Knowing that his arrows would not reach the Skull Kid, Link glanced over to Zelda. She gave a nod and stepped forward, cupping her hands and forming a ball of flame. The flame was not all that powerful, but it would be strong enough to get the Skull Kid's attention. She soon let loose the fireball and it streaked towards the Skull Kid, scoring a direct hit on him. As soon as he was hit, he frowned and called down to Link, "Hey, that's not fair. The girl can't be the one to hit me."

"You never said I could not participate in this game," Zelda called back in retort. After all, I, too, wish to make my way through the Lost Woods."

"Ugh," the Skull Kid groaned, still sore about having Zelda's fireball manage to hit him. Eventually, he decided, "Fine, the girl can play, too. But I won't make it easy for you."

He then disappeared once more. Link and Zelda, however, continued to follow the Skull Kid, crossing the large posts that were sitting on top of the lake that the stump they were standing on was overlooking. After crossing the posts, they found themselves in another area where Link saw a small treasure chest. Opening the chest, he found a small packet of bombs. He immediately tied the five bombs to arrows so he would have some additional firepower until he could head back to Ordon Village to rearm. Seeing a light coming from the log-like opening to the left, he and Zelda followed it.

They soon found themselves on a treetop platform with a bridge that led to another area of the woods. Link immediately spotted the Skull Kid and he rushed towards him and hit him with the back of his Ordon Sword. The Skull Kid gave a low grunt and he then headed underneath the tree bridge to another chamber. Link and Zelda gave swift pursuit but a group of four puppets soon descended from the trees and attacked. Link raised his shield to block the attacks and then performed a spin attack, cutting the puppets to pieces. With the puppets having been dealt with, they continued following the Skull Kid to the next chamber.

The next chamber looked quite plain and was not all that large. The Skull Kid was standing in front of them and Link swatted him on the side with the flat of his sword. The Skull Kid then chuckled and proceeded to flee through the exit on the right. Link and Zelda followed him and they immediately recognized the chamber they entered as one that they had previously been in before. They followed the chamber to the exit and found themselves back in the chamber with the tree and bridge. The duo climbed the tree stumps until they got up to the tree bridge. They then went to the center of the bridge so they could have a good look around the chamber. They soon saw the Skull Kid hanging from a tree branch on the left. As Link went to ready a Bomb Arrow, several puppets came down and attacked Link. As he performed a spin attack to deal with them, Zelda summoned another magical fireball and she fired it at the Skull Kid. The ball made contact and he gave a yelp as he jumped up onto the branch and gave a frown. He then proceeded to open a tunnel on the bridge and went on through. Link and Zelda followed him through the tunnel and soon found themselves on a balcony overlooking another chamber. The two jumped down and followed the Skull Kid through another opening to a ruined area.

The ruined area was very plain with no outcroppings, only ledges on the walls. As they scanned the ledges, they found the Skull Kid land on one of them. "Very good," the Skull Kid congratulated. "You're just as good as before, save for the help the girl gave you," the Skull Kid muttered under his breath. "Still, it's not over yet. Now you have to beat me in order to progress. And I won't make it easy!" he yelled.

As soon as he made his yell, eight puppets descended around Link and he performed a spin attack. He destroyed the puppets with the single attack, but he knew that the Skull Kid would only be on a ledge for a short time before jumping away. "Cover me," he told Zelda. "I'll focus on the Skull Kid. My Bomb Arrows travel faster than your ball of flame."

Zelda nodded and drew her sword while Link readied his bow and arrow. Despite it being a Bulblin Bow, he felt that it would suffice for his purposes. As he readied his bow, more puppets descended around the duo and attacked. Zelda stabbed her sword and performed a series of cuts and thrusts in an attempt to destroy the puppets. However, for each puppet she destroyed, more kept descending and attacking. Link, however, was quick to notch a Bomb Arrow to his bow. He soon pulled back on the string and fired the arrow at the Skull Kid. The Skull Kid was quick, though, and jumped away from the arrow before it hit.

Link grimaced and then scanned the other ledges until the Skull Kid reappeared. As soon as he did so, Link spotted him. More puppets came to attack Link but Zelda intercepted them and gave Link a chance to fire another Bomb Arrow at the Skull Kid. Link notched the arrow to the string and pulled back on it. As soon as he did so, he let fly with the arrow. The arrow scored a hit on the Skull Kid, causing him to give a grunt of discomfort. As he was hit, the other puppets that were attacking Zelda disappeared. He then jumped up and disappeared.

Link scanned each ledge quickly until he saw the Skull Kid land on another ledge a few spots away. Link rushed over to the ledge and was soon accosted by more puppets. Zelda lent her help in dealing with them by incinerating them with a Fire spell. Link then notched another Bomb Arrow to the string and fired once more. Again, he scored another direct hit.

"Hmmm, you are good," the Skull Kid admitted. "But it's not over yet. This time, I'll make it a lot harder for you to beat me!"

He then jumped up and disappeared once more. Link scanned each ledge for any sign of the Skull Kid. Sure enough, the Skull Kid soon appeared and immediately upon his appearance, more puppets attacked Link and Zelda. While Zelda incinerated the puppets, Link fired his next to last Bomb Arrow at the Skull Kid. Surprisingly, though, the Skull Kid summoned a series of puppets around himself. The Bomb Arrow struck the puppets and exploded, but did nothing to the Skull Kid. "I told you it wouldn't be so easy," he teased. He then jumped up and disappeared for a moment.

Link was not finished yet, though. He soon found the Skull Kid settling in on a ledge not too far away. As he landed, more puppets attacked Link. He dealt with them with a single spin attack and then went to notch a Bomb Arrow to his bow. "No, wait," Zelda cried. "He'll just raise another defense."

Link looked at her and by the expression in her eyes, he could tell she had a plan. "Let me deal with the Skull Kid," she told him quietly. "You cover me and if you see an opening to attack, you take it."

Link nodded and went to cover Zelda as she powered a ball of flame in her hands.

"Not this again," the Skull Kid condescended, finishing it with a chuckle.

Zelda gave no response as she fired the ball of flame at the Skull Kid. The ball of flame did not travel as fast as the Bomb Arrow and, thus, the Skull Kid saw it coming and was better able to react to it than he was to the Bomb Arrows. The Skull Kid merely jumped away from the ball of flame and into the trees, allowing it to detonate harmlessly. Zelda grunted as she realized that the Skull Kid was fast enough to evade her fire. If she wanted to force him to summon a defense, she would have to fire her Fire spell at a closer range.

Both Link and Zelda scanned the ledges and when they spotted the Skull Kid, Link pointed to the ledge and the two charged towards him. More puppets descended to attack them but Link dealt with them using a single spin attack. Zelda then made her way closer to the ledge, ignoring the puppets that were attacking her, and readied another Fire spell. Link went over to cover her, picking off puppets with arrows from his bow and arrow. Zelda powered her spell and prepared to fire it when the Skull Kid summoned a series of puppets to use as a shield. Zelda's Fire spell reached the puppets and struck one of the puppets, exploding on contact. The explosion engulfed the targeted puppet in flames, instantly reducing it to ashes. The fire soon spread to other puppets, setting them ablaze, too. The puppets that were set ablaze were soon reduced to ashes. The Skull Kid gave a chuckle and told Zelda, "Your fire won't be able to reach me."

What he did not realize, was that Link was waiting for the opportune moment to fire his Bomb Arrow at him. The flames from Zelda's spell were not only destroying the puppets, but also creating a cloud of smoke that was difficult for the Skull Kid to see through. He suddenly had a feeling that something was wrong. He was right, for while Zelda had used her Fire spell, Link had strung a Bomb Arrow to his bow. When the smoke was too great for the Skull Kid to see out of the cloud, he let fly with his last Bomb Arrow. His aim was true and the Bomb Arrow scored a hit on the Skull Kid.

As soon as he was hit, the Skull Kid gave cry of defeat. He fell to his knees and moaned, "Oh come on. Not again. I thought I was really going to win it this time." He then shrugged. "Oh well, a deal's a deal. You want to get to the Temple of Time, here you go."

He then jumped down off the ledge and went to a door and opened it for Link and Zelda. As he did so, he looked back at them and said, "That was fun. We'll have to do this again some time." With that, he ducked through the door and vanished.

As soon as he vanished, they heard a flute-like instrument begin to play the same song that they had heard the Skull Kid play during the hide and seek game. As soon as they started hearing the song, they noticed a beautiful young woman with long orange hair tied up into a ponytail, wearing a pink sleeveless leotard and golden bracelets. She appeared to be dancing to the music. Zelda was about to go up to her and ask her something but something held her back. She looked at the back of her hand and noticed her Triforce mark glowing. As she took a step closer to the young woman, she noticed the glow become brighter and chime began to sound. The woman glanced over to Zelda and Link but continued to dance. However, she appeared to be motioning through her dance that they should continue to make their way to the Master Sword. Without asking any questions, or stopping to talk to the woman, they made their way through the entrance.

Upon entering the path, they found themselves in the Sacred Grove and were at the Temple of Time. To the right, they saw the trail that led to the grove. Without any hesitation, they proceeded to follow the trail into the grove, where the pedestal that housed the Master Sword was located.

As they walked along the trail, they heard the strumming of a harp and the voice of a woman singing an enchanting song in an alien language. The voice was beautiful, far more so than any normal performer either of them had heard of. After walking a bit, they found the source of the music and singing: a young Hylian woman standing along the path with long blue hair, wearing a blue sleeveless shirt and pants, holding a small harp. The song appeared to be both joyous and sad at the same time. As Link and Zelda approached, the woman's tune quickly changed into a melancholy song that was both sad and hopeful. It soon changed into one that seemed to be sad a full of regret, as if the singer was singing about a mistake that had been made in the past. Still, without understanding the words, Zelda was uncertain if that was the case, but she had the impression that her guess was close. As they got closer, the woman continued to sing, but motioned them forward. Just as with the dancer, the singer was incredibly beautiful. Still, they could not afford to stop and admire her singing. They had a mission to accomplish and they would do so. With that, they continued down the path.

Along the way, they came across a single young Hylian woman with green hair tied into two buns that looked like bushes wearing a green shirt and skirt walking along the trail. She carried a book with her, indicating that she was a librarian. She then opened the book and began to read it. As the two approached the woman's position, she looked at them and continued on her way. Link looked down at his hand as he passed her, though, and noticed his Triforce mark glowing. Not thinking about it too much, and attributing it to being close to the Temple of Time, he continued on his way.

As soon as the duo proceeded, they made their way up towards the Master Sword. As they did so, though, they saw the blue-haired woman standing along the path, something that surprised them since they had already met her before. They did not think that there were any shortcuts leading to the grove. As they approached, the woman came out to meet them. She gave them a warm smile and then stared at each of them, but it was clear that she was focusing closely Zelda. As she stepped out to meet them, the two had strange feelings come over them. Looking down at their hands, they each found that their respective Triforce mark was glowing, just as it had with the dancer and singer. Zelda's was glowing brightly, far more so than normal, even when they had been in the presence of the Triforce of Power. The woman then stepped forward and turned her focus towards Link saying, "I know what it is you want. Know this, Hero of Twilight: the path you are taking is fraught with risk and should you fail, it will be to the ruin of Hyrule.

"I can't stop now!" Link blurted. "I have to stop Ganondorf once and for all."

The woman then spoke again, saying, "But if you are successful, then the greatest threat Hyrule has ever faced will finally be destroyed once and for all, and all incarnations of the Demon King's hatred will finally be able to be destroyed once and for all."

"The why are you stopping us?" Zelda asked.

"Who said I was stopping you?" the young woman asked in return. "You are free to pass, but this is the entry grove to the Temple of Time. Strange things happen here," she told them cryptically.

"Who are you?" Zelda asked, not being able to fathom who the mysterious woman was.

"My name is Nayru," the woman answered. "I am one of three sisters that are visiting Hyrule. My sisters, Din and Farore, are examining other areas of the country as well. You met them on your way to the temple. We are looking for places to live and I was drawn to this temple's power. I have an interest in the attributes of the Temple of Time and its power.

Zelda looked at the woman skeptically, for she knew that one of the old gods was named Nayru. Nayru was associated with the flow of time and singing. The Triforce of Wisdom was strongly associated with being her piece of the Triforce, the same piece that was in Zelda's hand. "Is there a problem?" Nayru asked.

Zelda did not know. She was suspicious of this woman, but not as a potential enemy. Instead, she felt as if the woman was hiding a great deal of power. The woman gave them no challenge as she stepped aside, allowing them to pass. Zelda quickly walked by the woman, flustered for the first time in a long time, while Link calmly walked past, looking back at Nayru. Nayru gave a smile as he walked by. "If you continue on this quest, you will have the ability to break the endless cycle, but you will also learn things about the gods that may change your opinion of them," she cautioned cryptically. "But also be warned, Ghirahim knows that you are in Faron Province. While he is not as strong as Ganondorf, he is still quite powerful. You will need magical weapons in order to defeat Ghirahim. And if Demise is restored, the Master Sword will be necessary."

With that final statement, Nayru walked back towards one of the entrances to the grove. "I'll be here if you need my assistance."

Link then walked past and joined Zelda. They made their way to the pedestal in the grove. When they arrived, they saw the Master Sword inside the pedestal. The Master Sword was a double-edged longsword that had a purple hilt and wing-shaped crossguard with a ricasso and no fuller. An image of the Triforce was engraved on the lower part of the blade and a yellow gemstone was embedded in the crossguard. Link then made his way towards the sword to grab it. He stepped towards the pedestal, looking around for any sign of Ganondorf, for he expected the Gerudo King to show up at any moment so as to attempt to either stop him, or free Demise so that the demon king could be destroyed. Seeing no sign of the Gerudo King, though, he went up to go up to the sword, but as he stepped forward, he found that he was getting no closer to the sword. He looked back at Zelda, who had a confused look on her face as well. She then stepped forward, the mark of the Triforce of Wisdom glowing on the back of her right hand. She attempted to reach the sword, itself, only to find herself unable to reach it, too.

"What's going on?" Link asked. "Why can't I get to the Master Sword?"

"I don't know," Zelda answered, as confused about the situation as Link was.

"Because the Master Sword isn't here," came a familiar voice from behind. The two turned to find Nayru standing a few meters away from them, a friendly, yet also knowing, smile on her face.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11:

Zelda and Link stared at Nayru, their eyes wide with surprise. "What do you mean that the Master Sword isn't here?" Zelda blurted. "We're staring right at it!"

"You won't be able to reach it, though, no matter what you do," Nayru responded shaking her head. "You're seeing the place where it will be placed in the future. It has yet to be placed there in the pedestal."

"Then why was I able to grab it six months ago?" Link asked.

"It's a time paradox," the young woman answered. "That, and let's just say that there were other forces at work to make sure that you would be able to reach the perfect Master Sword. Do remember that the Master Sword had actually killed Ganondorf. The only reason he's back, and the curse is back with him, is because you withdrew it too quickly and allowed the Triforce of Power to reactivate. Though I will admit that you had no knowledge of the curse and it really did look like he was truly dead. His heart did stop beating and his brain activity stopped," the girl added. She did not stop smiling as she spoke, and yet behind the cheerful smile and almost giggling nature of the girl, Link could not help but notice there was also a serious personality, as if this was either a facade or simply something to put the two of them more at ease.

"So what do we have to do?" Zelda asked.

"Go to the Temple of Time, the first one, and get the Master Sword from there, the one that the Hero of Time used to defeat Ganondorf in one of the other two timelines created during Ganondorf's attempt to get the Triforce a century ago," Nayru answered. "Be careful, though. Ganondorf knows that that is the location of the Master Sword," she cautioned. "He'll be waiting for you."

"How do you know this?" Zelda asked.

"Because he's already there," she answered with a shrug. "Your drawing the Master Sword is essential to his plans."

"Why?"

"You'll find out once you draw the sword," Nayru answered in a quiet tone. "There are other reasons as to why you must do this, reasons I am not allowed to divulge to you, but do not despair. This is not beyond your ability. You can defeat your enemies and save Hyrule. You have the ability to do so. Do know, though, that if you follow through on this adventure, that you may find out some things that may change your opinion on the gods of old."

Link gave a confident nod and turned towards Zelda, who was still studying Nayru. She then turned towards Link, her eyes telling Link everything that she was thinking. She was greatly annoyed at having come all the way to the Temple of Time only for it to not be their true destination. Nayru then approached them with a serious expression on her face. "If you need to get back to Faron Woods, I can warp you there, if you wish. It will save you time and you might be able to get what you need to pull the sword before Ganondorf's minions, or what's left of them, come after you. They may need Link to live long enough to pull the Master Sword, and kill the one sealed inside of it, but they don't need Zelda to be alive. In fact, a dead Zelda would be much easier for Ganondorf since he would be able to gain the Triforce of Wisdom without having to face any severe resistance. So, do you wish for me to warp you back to the entrance to Faron Woods?" She then waited for them to make a decision.

Zelda looked over at Link and told him, "Link, that young woman is a lot more powerful than she appears."

"I know," Link answered.

They then turned to see the woman waiting, her smile still plastered on her face. Link and Zelda then turned to her and answered, "Yes."

"Okay," she answered.

The duo then blinked their eyes and the scene of the pedestal with the Master Sword vanished, being replaced by the scene of Faron Woods, near Coro's stand. Epona was standing right where Link had left her. Link and Zelda were amazed as they found themselves right where they needed to be. Not asking any more questions, the two went up to Epona and mounted her. Before leaving, Link turned to Zelda and asked, "Do you have any idea what Nayru was talking about when she mentioned the first Temple of Time?"

Zelda nodded. "I do. Long ago, Ganondorf attempted to enter the Sacred Realm and claim the Triforce for his own. The entrance to the Sacred Realm was a temple just to the side of Hyrule Castle Town called the Temple of Time. In order to gain access to the Sacred Realm, one needed to gain hold of all three Spiritual Stones, as well as have the Ocarina of time. They were the keys to the Door of Time, which led to the final key to the Sacred Ream, and the Triforce: the Master Sword. Since we have the Triforce, we should be able to open the Door of Time without difficulty. Once we do that, pulling the Master Sword should be all up to you."

"So why did you say that the Master Sword was in the Sacred Grove in the Lost Woods when I was a wolf?" Link asked.

"Because it was," Zelda answered. "And it was."

"But how did you know that if all of your historical texts and lessons said that the Master Sword was in the Temple of Time inside of Hyrule Castle Town?"

"Because I only found out about the second, or rather first, Temple of Time having the Master Sword when Nayru mentioned it. There was a legend that the Master Sword was behind the door, but the fact that the sword was eventually seen by Auru before our adventure six months ago, I merely thought it legend, one distorted by retelling over time. After all, the Hero of Time and my ancestor did not enter the Sacred Realm. They basically made Ganondorf force his hand by _not_ going after the other two Spiritual Stones that he would have needed in order to open the Door of Time."

"I see," Link answered. "So do you know where in Hyrule Castle Town this first Temple of Time is?"

"I think so," the Hyrulean Queen answered. "If it's where the legends say, we should be able to find it pretty easily. I'll tell you the way once we get the three Spiritual Stones and get back to Hyrule Castle Town."

"Spiritual Stones?"

"The Door of Time is a seal that is designed to keep people out of the Temple of Time's inner sanctum," Zelda explained. "The only way to open it is to gather the three Spiritual Stones: Kokiri's Emerald, Goron's Ruby, and Zora's Sapphire, and to then play the Song of Time using the Ocarina of Time. It was designed so that no one would be able to get the Triforce. I just did not know that the Master Sword was still inside the pedestal behind the door."

"I already have Goron's Ruby," Link volunteered, pulling out the Spiritual Stone. "Dangoro gave it to me for helping the Gorons face Ghirahim's forces and beating them back. Do you know where the other two Spiritual Stones are?"

"Zora's Sapphire is obviously with the Zoras. Goron's Ruby is with the Gorons. As for Kokiri's Emerald, I don't know where it is, but I have a strong feeling that it is in the forest somewhere just from the sound of its name. There was a legend once of a boy from the Kokiri Forest that brought the Kokiri's Emerald to my ancestor. He was the Hero of Time, who, along with my ancestor, warned the King of Hyrule of Ganondorf's treachery. After the incident, it was said that he took the Spiritual Stone with him. Where he eventually ended up and settled down, if he did so, is unknown. However, the stone was originally from a forest known as Kokiri Forest. It is in the middle of the Lost Woods, which are just east of Faron Woods. We should get back to Faron Woods and see if we can at least find out any further information. Perhaps Faron will know something."

Zelda nodded and she then followed Link as they retraced their steps back through the Sacred Grove and reentered Faron Woods.

The trip back to Faron Woods was free of incident and both Link and Zelda made certain to retrace their steps so that they could get to Faron Spring. They traveled through the Lantern Cave, Link and Zelda shooting down any rats or Keese that tried to attack, and quickly emerged from the cave back in the southern part of Faron Woods.

The first thing they did was to retrace their steps back to Faron Spring so they could talk with Faron, hoping to get some information on where the Kokiri's Emerald may be hidden. Two Bokoblins stood in their way, but they were easily disposed of with sword slashes from Link and Zelda. They soon spotted Faron Spring to their right and they walked up the marble-like steps and into the spring. The spring was surrounded by trees and rays of light shined forth through the canopy and down onto the spring.

As they entered the spring, they saw a glowing ball of light hovering in the center of the spring. They approached the light and the ball of light suddenly transformed right in front of their eyes. Where once there was a ball of light, now a glowing golden monkey far larger than any natural monkey appeared with golden markings on its body. Its tail was long and it curled around the body of the spirit. "Greetings once more, Link," the spirit said as he stepped forward. "It has been a while since you have come to this spring." Looking at Link more intently, Faron continued, "I know of the events in both Eldin and Lanayru Province. Ganondorf has returned, as did Ghirahim, though the latter is not in any position to cause you harm at the moment," the spirit stated, citing Link's victory over Ghirahim on Death Mountain. The spirit then looked into Link's eyes. "You seek the Master Sword, yet the blade that is visible in the ruins of the Temple of Time cannot be drawn."

"Yes," Link answered, nodding.

"Do you also know that the Master Sword is in another Temple of Time in Lanayru Province?"

Link nodded.

"Then you know that you will have to obtain three Spiritual Stones in order to gain access to the Master Sword in Lanayru's Temple of Time."

"Do you know where Kokiri's Emerald is located?" Link asked, not liking how long it was taking Faron to get to the point.

"The Spiritual Stone of the Forest was entrusted to your ancestor a long time ago," Faron answered.

"But where is it now?" Zelda asked.

"Right here," Faron replied. "Before the Hero of Time, Link's ancestor, died, he entrusted the Spiritual Stone of the Forest to me. I have been keeping it until its use would be necessary."

As Faron finished, a bright green light appeared over the Light Spirit. The ball was not all that large at first, but soon, a brilliant flash of green light lit up the area that would have blinded anyone who had looked at it, causing Link to shield his eyes. As the flash faded, Link looked up at where the light had been and saw a glowing green stone surrounded by a gold ring. Link reached up as the stone descended towards him. The stone landed in his hands and he pulled it to himself and looked at the stone for a bit before turning back to Faron.

"Thank you Faron," Link stated, giving a nod.

Faron returned Link's nod. "Be careful, both of you," the Light Spirit cautioned. "Ganondorf is planning something and I have the impression that he may actually _want_ you to draw the Master Sword. Your ancestor once said that the Master Sword being drawn was how an alternate Ganondorf managed to gain hold of the Triforce of Power in the alternate timeline. However, you, he, and Zelda already have the three pieces of the Triforce, so I do not now why he would want you to draw a weapon that could be used to destroy him."

"We'll be careful, and ready," Zelda assured the Light Spirit. Link also gave a nod towards the spirit.

It was then that Faron spoke once more. "Before you go, know this, Hero of Twilight. The Spiritual Stone of Water, Zora's Sapphire, may be found in an ice cavern north of Zora's Fountain at the northernmost point of Zora's Domain."

Link then nodded. As he then turned to leave, Faron transformed back into a ball of golden light and vanished back into the spring. Once Faron had disappeared back into the spring, the two departed the spring and headed back towards Coro's shop, where they had left Epona.

As they got within sight of Epona, they saw two Bokoblins running up to her, their clubs drawn and attempting to either bring her down or steal her. Link quickly drew his bow and targeted the Bokoblin closest to Epona. His bow twanged as he released the string. The arrow sailed towards the unsuspecting Bokoblin and struck it in the back, killing it. The other Bokoblin turned to see Link drawing another arrow. He gave a cry and foolishly decided to charge Link. Link gave no reaction as he calmly put his bow away and drew his sword, waiting for the Bokoblin to attack. The Bokoblin closed the distance with him and swung at the hero with his spiked club. Link ducked underneath the swing and responded with a swing of his own, bringing his sword across the abdomen of the Bokoblin, felling the unarmored creature with ease.

With the Bokoblins having been dealt with, Link and Zelda went over to Epona and mounted her. Turning around, they then directed the horse north and departed Coro's shop, following the trail into Hyrule Field. With a light kick, Epona went into a full gallop as she ran out of Faron Woods and into Hyrule Field.

Meanwhile, hovering over the Lost Woods, the Sorceress Sisters, Koume and Kotake looked down on Link and Zelda as they rode away from the woods and back out to Hyrule Field. They did not recognize the woman riding with Link, but they recognized the symbol of the Sheikah and suspected that she was one of the Sheikah. Still, there was the fact that there had been no trace of Queen Zelda ever since Ganondorf had left her with Ghirahim on the top of Death Mountain. That did not concern them, though. If she were smart, she would be hiding either in Kakariko Village or in any one of many hideouts all around Hyrule, possibly inside one of the Sages' Temples. They soon extended their senses to their servants in Faron Woods and soon realized that they could sense none of them, not even the Stalfos and Wolfos that protected the bridge leading to the Sacred Grove. They looked at each other and nodded knowingly. Link must have expected the Master Sword to be in the Temple of Time in the Sacred Grove. The fact that Link was leaving indicated that the sword had been moved, likely without his knowledge. Koume then turned to Kotake and told her, "Link is heading out into Hyrule Field. I will have the Bulblins slow him down while you make the report to Ganondorf."

Kotake gave a cackle and then disappeared in a burst of icy fire, leaving Koume alone. She then turned and followed Link at a distance, sending out a magical call to the Bulblin followers of Ganondorf. She soon magically heard their howls as they confirmed that they had heard her call and went to intercept the Hero of Twilight before he could make it to his new destination.

Back in the Gerudo Fortress, Kotake made her report to Ganondorf, who was being attended to by his latest consort, Aveil, the General of the Gerudo forces, second only to Ganondorf and the Sorceress Sisters. "Link and a Sheikah rider have just left Kokiri Forest and are entering Hyrule Field," Kotake told him.

"Did you tell the Bulblins to pursue Link and the rider?"

Kotake nodded. "Koume is also tracking them."

"Good," Ganondorf answered with satisfaction. "But don't have Koume attack Link. We still need him alive."

"What about the rider?"

"The rider is obviously Zelda," Ganondorf answered. His answer brought a look of surprise to Kotake's face.

"Zelda? But the rider wore the clothes of a Sheikah and is armed like one as well," the Sorceress Sister answered.

"What better way to hide than to assume a role that no one would expect a princess, or a queen, for that matter, to assume? Make no mistake, though, that rider is none other than Zelda."

"How do you know this?"

"The Triforce of Power gives me a great deal of powers and abilities, many of which can actually be used a bit better with the Triforce of Wisdom. I merely used my powers to scan multiple futures and alternate paths that could have been taken. In them, I saw a variety of fates for myself and for my enemies. One of the fates showed a Zelda disguising herself as a Sheikah boy in order to evade detection from an alternate me. In this case, though, Zelda merely disguised herself as a Sheikah woman to do the same. In addition, it probably also gives her some weapons and possibly some skills in combat as well."

"Then what are your orders with regards to Zelda?"

"Let her live, for now, but have the Bulblins attack anyway. Also, assemble a band of Gerudo warriors as well and have them assist the Bulblins. They'll be helpful in making Link think we're serious about killing him. We don't want to let Link's path to the third Spiritual Stone be too easy. He might get suspicious if that is the case. I and a band of my best warriors will go to the Temple of Time. Once Link gets that third Spiritual Stone, he'll almost certainly be heading to the temple to draw the Master Sword. And I will be waiting for him.

"Understood, my lord," Kotake answered, giving a curt bow.

"Rejoin your sister in tracking Link and leave the link to my mind open for the time being. If anything changes, I want to know."

"Understood, master," the Sorceress Sister answered.

Kotake then floated away and spun around on her broom before vanishing in a cloud of ice. Once she was away, Aveil went over to him and stroked his chin, saying, "Be careful, my lord. Link has managed to defeat you in battle before. Don't underestimate him. If all goes well, you won't have Demise's curse to fall back on this time." Her concern was clearly more than just a servant to master, relationship, and she was more than a simple concubine or even second in command. Many of the other Gerudos suspected that Aveil was given the position of second in command because she was sleeping with Ganondorf and that Ganondorf also actually had real affection for her.

"I won't," Ganondorf assured her in a confident but not arrogant fashion. "And don't worry about the upcoming battle. I know very well what the Hero of Twilight is capable of. I can defeat him. All I have to do is to get him to release Demise and destroy him, preferably with the Master Sword or some other magical weapon in order to ensure the Demise's complete destruction, and then come at him after he is weakened from having fought Demise."

"Don't let Demise kill you, either. He _does_ have a magical sword and while Ghirahim was no match for you, Demise might be a different story."

"Demise is nothing more than a demon who was surpassed by his own weapon," the Gerudo King scoffed. "He will be no match for me. With the Triforce of Power and the Sage's Sword, I'll easily be able to kill him and prevent him from cursing me, Zelda, and Link again if it comes right down to it. Then it will be a simple matter of taking the Triforce of Wisdom from Zelda and the Triforce of Courage from Link. Once that is done and the curse of Demise is lifted, I'll kill them both and take over Hyrule." He then turned back to Aveil and, seeing her concern for him, assured her that he was in no danger, saying, "Don't worry about me. I've been preparing for this moment for a long time. I know the risks, but I also know the rewards for when I will be successful. I won't just have the complete Triforce so we can gain immortality and infinite power, we'll also be able to rule Hyrule without fear of a Hero chosen by the goddesses coming to destroy us. The cycle will finally be broken and we will be free."

"I will watch over the Gerudos while you are away," she told him.

"Do be careful, yourself, Aveil," Ganondorf told her. "Our child will have a bright future. All the Gerudos will. Make sure that you stay alive and well so that nothing will happen to our child. Also, be aware of the renegade band of Gerudos that seek to take control. Don't let them gain any power should anything happen to me."

"I will, my lord, and my love. I will make sure that they cannot gain any power," Aveil answered. "Do make sure that nothing happens to yourself, too," she added quietly.

"Don't worry. I'll be fine," Ganondorf answered haughtily, half due to his own confidence, and half to alleviate any concerns that Aveil may have had. "Also, I will contact you through the Twinrova when everything is ready. Once it is have our forces ready to ride, half to the Temple of Time in Hyrule, and half to the Temple of Time in the Sacred Grove in Faron Province. Link will likely appear in the Temple of Time in the Lost Woods. Once he does, his survival will no longer be of any consequence to us."

"And what of me?"

"Remain at the hideout," Ganondorf answered. "I cannot risk your safety, or that of our child."

"Understood," she answered. "Will there be anything else?"

"Not that I can think of," the Gerudo King replied, turning to leave.

"Then may the power of the gods be with you," she told him with a strong voice.

"It is," Ganondorf answered, raising his hand and showing her the glowing mark of the Triforce of Power. The top triangle glowed brightly as Ganondorf used its power to teleport away from the Gerudo Fortress, and to the Temple of Time. Aveil watched him go gazed down at the ground, fearing that this would be the last time she ever saw her lover alive.

Link and Zelda proceeded to make their way out of Faron Province and into Hyrule Field. As they were departing Faron, Zelda sensed magic in the air and she told Link, "Be alert, Link. I think Ganondorf has spotted us."

Link nodded and he spurred Epona onward. The horse picked up speed as they turned to the northeast as they went to follow Hyrule Field to Kakariko Gorge. Zelda continued to glance at her surroundings as Link looked back at her, but saw nothing yet. "Anything?" he asked.

"So far, nothing," she answered. "I'll continue to look around the field and extend my magical senses. You focus on getting us to Zora's Domain as quickly as possible. I don't want to be visible to Ganondorf for too long. I'll alert you if anything comes up."

Link nodded and he continued to guide Epona through Hyrule Field. They rode through the lush, green field for more than a half hour, Zelda scanning the surrounding area for any signs of enemies. She soon spotted a suspicious series of dots on the horizon behind her. At first, they did not seem to be all that threatening. For the next few minutes, she focused on the dots, keeping a close eye on them. When she saw that they were not getting any smaller, she extending her magical senses and tried to ascertain what they were. Her sight was extended and she was soon able to make them out as being Bulblins riding Bullbos and some women with tanned skin and orange hair. They did not wear armor and wore tops that exposed their midriffs with baggy white silk pants. She scowled as she recognized the warriors as being Gerudos.

"Pick up the pace, Link," Zelda warned as she turned to him. "We've got Bulblin and Gerudo cavalry on our tail."

Link nodded and spurred Epona once more, having her run at full speed. As a warhorse, she had a great deal of stamina and could run for a long time at full speed before having to rest as long as he did not push her too hard. Epona picked up speed and Zelda continued to study the horizon behind her. The dots on the horizon soon increased in size and they became easier for Zelda to identify. It was readily apparent that the horses were either of better stock than Epona, which was unlikely given that Epona was the best horse Zelda had ever seen, or they were magically enhanced. Extending her magical senses, she found that the latter was the case as a speed spell must have been cast on the horses. Seeing that they would eventually overtake them, Zelda told Link, "It's no good. They'll eventually overtake us. You continue to guide Epona. I'll take care of the others once they come within range."

Link nodded as Zelda turned back and drew out the Bulblin bow that Link used before he had gotten his superior Hero's Bow. For the next hour, Link guided Epona across Kakariko Gorge and towards the Bridge of Eldin. Eventually, the Bulblins were within firing range and Zelda drew an arrow from her quiver. She notched the arrow to the string and pulled back on it. Once the string was tight and could not be pulled back any farther, she let it go and the bow twanged as the arrow rocketed from the bow and arced through the air at the lead Bulblin rider just as his companion was pulling back on his own bow. The arrow struck the lead rider and he gave a cry as he fell to the left, pulling his Bullbo to the left as well, causing it to collide with another Bullbo, knocking off both riders of the other Bullbo. The archer's aim was thrown off and he accidentally let go of his string and the bow twanged. The arrow that was launched from his bow sailed off to the left where a group of Gerudo cavalry were riding to support the Bulblins. The arrow struck one of the Gerudos in the chest and felled her, causing her to fall off of her horse, the arrow protruding from her chest telling the others all that they needed to know. A group of Gerudos, either believing themselves to have been betrayed, or simply being annoyed by the Bulblins, turned to the Bulblins and launched an attack of their own. The riders drew their bows and unleashed a hail of arrows into the ranks of the Bulblins, felling them. The surviving Bulblins returned the favor, inflicting noticeable casualties on the Gerudos as more than a dozen Gerudos fell to their counterattack.

Some of the Gerudos, however, recognized that the accidental friendly fire incident was due to Zelda's arrow and they did not let themselves get bogged down fighting their allies. They accelerated towards Link and Zelda, along with a few of the Bulblins that were also smart enough to not get caught up in the infighting. Still, they were far too few in number to be a real threat to Link and Zelda as the Queen of Hyrule turned back as several arrows were launched at her and Link, landing several meters away from the duo. Zelda returned fire, allowing the Gerudos and Bulblins to run headfirst into her arrows. She calmly readied each arrow and fired it with the deadly accuracy of a veteran archer. As Link periodically looked back and saw Zelda fell their pursuers, he could only marvel at her skill. She had shown her archery skills in his battle against Ganondorf during the Twilight Invasion when she had used Light Arrows against Ganondorf, but he was surprised that she seemed to be just as skilled, if not more so, than he was.

After a while, Zelda managed to pick off the remaining pursuers and they could both focus on trek ahead. It did not take them long to reach the Bridge of Eldin. As they approached, Link used his Hawkeye to spy several Bulblins and Bokoblins in the distance on the bridge. Link drew his bow and readied an arrow. Zelda followed his lead as well. Once he had targeted the closest of the monsters, he opened fire, launching an arrow from his bow. His arrow struck true and took down a Bulblin before it could even draw its own bow. Zelda followed suit and took down another Bulblin. A subsequent volley of arrows dealt with the rest of the Bulblins, one of them falling off the bridge and into the gorge below. The Bokoblins attempted to make a stand but were either cast aside with swipes from Link's sword, or trampled by Epona. It did not take Link and Zelda long to make their way past the enemies and across the bridge.

Once they were across the bridge, they proceeded to follow the trail as it led to North Hyrule Field. They quickly came to a long canyon road where walls of dirt and rock lined the road. Along these walls were ledges that were perfect spots for archers to rain arrows down upon any rider that rode through the canyon. So far, though, they appeared to be deserted, but Link still drew his bow, for he knew better than to accept things as they seemed. He looked back at Zelda and told her, "Be on guard. During my last adventure, these canyon walls were used by Bulblins to ambush unsuspecting enemies."

Zelda nodded as she took out her bow and readied an arrow. Sure enough, as they approached the canyon, several Bulblins revealed themselves on the ledges, pulling back on their bowstrings, preparing to fire flaming arrows at Link and Zelda. Link and Zelda were quicker on the draw, though, firing arrows at the closest of the Bulblins. Their arrows struck true and two Bulblins fell from the ledges, arrows protruding from their chests. Link quickly drew another arrow and targeted a third Bulblin, taking him down with another unerringly accurate shot. Zelda matched Link's accuracy with a shot of her own, which felled another Bulblin. Once the fourth Bulblin fell, Link and Zelda scanned the walls as they rushed Epona through the canyon, seeing if there were any other Bulblins to deal with. Seeing that there were no more Bulblins standing on the walls, they were able to relax for a little bit before continuing to make their way to North Hyrule Field.

After about half an hour, they came to North Hyrule Field. As they entered the field, Link and Zelda found a peaceful spot where they, or mainly Epona, could rest and could catch their breath. They dismounted from the horse and Link searched for a small pond so he could lead Epona to the water and give her a chance to drink. Finding a pond not too far away, and no enemies present, he led the horse to the water, where she drank until she was satisfied. Once she was finished, they rested for about fifteen more minutes before he and Zelda mounted the horse once more and continued to make their way to Zora's Domain.

As they rode through the northern part of Hyrule Field, they encountered several Lizalfos and even its stronger cousin, the Dinolfos. Both were armed with swords and some Lizalfos even had axes on their tails. The Dinolfos were also equipped with shields and looked far more violent and threatening than the Lizalfos since they also wore armor. However, with Link and Zelda on horseback, they were considerably less of a threat. Link drew his sword while Zelda stuck to using her bow and arrow. She targeted the nearest of the lizard-like enemies and fired an arrow. Her arrow streaked towards a Lizalfos and managed to strike true, felling the beast. A Dinolfos then came up to attack Link, drawing its sword. It swung at Epona in an attempt to cut the horse out from under Link, but Link caught the enemy's sword on his own blade. Using Epona's momentum, he brought his sword up into the armor of the Dinolfos and knocked it off its feet, but did not kill it. Still, it was down and by the time it would rise to continue the pursuit, Link and Zelda would be a long way away from it.

The duo continued their trip through North Hyrule Field, cutting down all Lizalfos and Dinolfos in their path, with Zelda shooting down any of the enemies that were pursuing them, not wanting to take any chances of them catching up to them once they reached Zora's Domain. They quickly reached a long canyon and proceeded to make their way through the canyon as quickly as possible, Link keeping his focus in front of him while Zelda readied an arrow and focused on watching Link's back as they trekked through the canyon. Link scanned the walls to make sure that there were no Bulblin archers waiting in ambush. So far, the way was clear. Behind them, Zelda spotted no signs of pursuit, which caused her to breathe a sigh of relief.

It did not take them long to reach Zora's Domain. Once they did so, they saw a large, deep pool and a large waterfall that fed water into the pool. Several large stone pillars jutted out of the pool. The tops of the pillars were covered with grass. Link and Zelda could feel the mist of the water as it rose from the waterfall. On each side of the pool was a walkway that led to the throne room above and behind the waterfall. To the right, the rock walls displayed paintings and symbols of what looked to be Zoras, possibly Zora rulers of the past. Link recognized a picture of Rutela, the former queen and mother of the current king of the Zoras, Ralis. To the left was a long walkway that had numerous windows that allowed people to look out at the pool and even the waterfall. Looking at the walls, the two saw holes with clear water gushing from them.

Link pulled Epona to the side and found a safe area where they could allow Epona to rest and relax as they went to search for the Spiritual Stone of Water. As they approached an area, they saw a Zora standing on guard with a spear. Zoras were humanoid fish-like beings that had fins on their arms with most, but not all, also having a long fin on the backs of their heads. As Link looked around, he could see that the females had breasts but even with their lack of clothes, they would still have been decent by Hyrulean societal standards. The Zora that they were approaching was male and, like the other Zoras, he wore no clothing. He was also carrying a large halberd with a fish's fin that seemed to suffice for the blade of the weapon. However, Link had the feeling that the fin was every bit as sharp as a steel blade would have been.

Link and Zelda approached the Zora, leading Epona by the reigns. When the Zora looked up and saw Link, he stood at attention and said, "Hello Link. It has been a while since you last came to Zora's Domain. I must thank you again for saving us during the Invasion of Twilight."

"It was no problem," Link answered. "How is Prince, or should I say, King, Ralis?"

"Ralis is fine," the Zora answered. "He misses the queen, but he has carried on well. We haven't had any real problems since the Invasion of Twilight, though."

"Do you know where we can find the king?" Zelda asked.

"He's up in the throne room. If you want to meet him, you'll have to prove that your mission is of the utmost importance. In addition, you will likely also have to have a connection to the Hyrulean Royal Family."

"Thank you," Zelda answered.

The Zora then noticed them leading Epona and he commented, "That is a fine horse. I don't think that horses will help you get around Zora's Domain all that well, though. I can look after your horse for you, though. It won't cost a thing. Consider it thanks for saving us during the Twilight Invasion."

"Thank you," Link said, beaming. This was great. He would be able to leave Epona protected, for he doubted that any potential pursuers from Hyrule Field would want to challenge the Zoras to a battle. He left Epona with the Zora, who immediately went to tend to the horse's needs, and proceeded to make his way into the small village, followed by Zelda.

They made their way up the path to the right, meeting a number of Zoras along the way of both sexes, all of them armed with halberds. Looking into the pool, which led into Zora's River, he saw a large number of Zoras swimming and apparently enjoying themselves. Link and Zelda did not pay any attention to them, though, and they did not focus on the armed guards the protected the path to the throne room.

The duo soon entered a tunnel that took them up to the next level. The walk was not long and they soon found themselves on the second level of the village. Turning around, they followed the path to the upper level of Zora's Domain. Once they were on the upper level of Zora's Domain, they turned and proceeded down a long hallway that led to the throne room. The walls seemed to be made of a material that Zelda did not recognize. A large pool, which was a river that turned into the waterfall that fed Zora's River, which fed Lake Hylia and was the source of the lake's water, as well as that of Hyrule, was situated in the center of the hall. Zora guards stood at attention as Link and Zelda entered the throne room. When Link and Zelda entered, the guards turned as one at the newcomers. "Halt," one of the guards called. "Identify yourselves!"

"I am Link," Link answered, holding up his hands to show that he was not holding any weapons, even though his sword and shield were clearly visible on his back.

The guards then turned to Zelda, who used her magic to shed her Sheik disguise and reveal herself to be the Queen of Hyrule. When they saw that it was Zelda, the guards bowed before her and said, "Our apologies, Queen Zelda. We have heard of unrest and did not know that you were coming. Come, let us take you to King Ralis."

"Thank you," Zelda said thankfully, not holding any grudge for the guard.

The guards immediately escorted Link and Zelda to the back of the hall and into the Zora's Domain throne room. There, they saw four more guards standing at the sides of the pool, as well as the young Zora king sitting on a throne that seemed to be made out of the same material that the structures in the throne room were. When he saw Link and Zelda, he rose and exclaimed, "Link, Zelda, this visit is a surprise. Is there anything I can do to help you?"

Zelda noticed that the king's attention was focused on Link. She soon answered, "Actually, there _is_ something you can do for us. We have need of the Spiritual Stone of Water. Can you allow us to take it? We will return it immediately when its use to us has passed."

The question took Ralis aback. "The Zora's Sapphire is not supposed to be given to just anybody," he said in a cautious tone. "It is also the Zora Engagement Ring."

"I understand," Zelda answered calmly, bowing. However, she was beginning to get annoyed. "However, the situation is dire right now. Ganondorf has returned and we need the Master Sword in order to defeat him."

"Then why don't you go and get the Master Sword?" Ralis asked. "It was easily retrievable the last time it was needed."

Zelda was beginning to lose patience but she did not let it show. It was Link who answered, "Things have changed in six months. We have already tried to obtain the Master Sword but we were unable to do so in the Sacred Grove due to an issue of time. The only other place where the Master Sword has resided is in the Temple of Time inside of Hyrule Castle Town. However, from what Zelda tells me, it is located behind an impenetrable door that requires all three Spiritual Stones in order to open. I already have two of the Spiritual Stones needed." He then pulled out the Kokiri's Emerald and Goron's Ruby and showed them to the king. "All I need is the Zora's Sapphire in order to have the full set and be able to access the Master Sword."

Ralis looked at Link thoughtfully. "I wish I could make this easier for you, but the Zora's Sapphire is not with me at this time. A long time ago, in order to hide the Spiritual Stone from evildoers, we took the stone and placed it inside of the Ice Cavern. It is located in a frozen cave behind the throne room and Zora's Fountain. However, our sentries detected the presence of ice monsters inside the cave and we have yet to go clear it."

"That won't be a problem," Link answered. "Where in the cave is it?"

"It is in a room in the farthest reaches of the cave," Ralis answered. "Be careful, the Ice Cavern is a mini-dungeon. Be especially careful of the Ice Keese. They will freeze you upon contact, even if you raise your shield to protect yourself."

Link nodded and then turned to Zelda, his gaze questioning as to whether she wanted to come with him or rest here for a bit. His answer came quickly as she transformed back into her Sheik disguise. Ralis then rose and looked over to the guards and told them, "Let them through."

Two guards then rose and went to the fence behind the throne and pulled the doors open. The doors slid to either side, granting Link and Zelda access to another hallway. As they walked past Ralis, they thanked him and proceeded to enter the hallway, Link marveling at the reflection of the shiny water on the ceiling of the cave.

They eventually emerged onto a small stone pier that was looking into the ocean. Looking to the left, they saw a large shoreline that had a large cavern. In the ocean were several small floating platforms that formed a jagged line towards the cavern in the distance. With no hesitation, Link went to the edge of the pier and jumped onto the first of the platforms, which lowered a bit into the water as his weight pressed down on it. He quickly balanced himself and stepped towards the center of the platform so that it would not tilt one way or the other into the water. He then traced a path towards the cavern and ran towards the next platform and jumped onto it.

As Link was beginning his trek across the platforms, Zelda followed him, gracefully making her way across the platforms, quickly catching up to Link and then surging past him. Link followed Zelda across the platforms, jumping to each platform and quickly finding the next one and jumping to it before the platform he was standing on tilted too steeply and sent him plunging into the ocean. Zelda was the first to make it to the Ice Cavern, lithely jumping up onto the step that led into the cave. Link eventually made his way across the platforms and made it to the ledge, jumping onto it and joining Zelda. Once he had reached the Hyrulean Queen, the two of them made their way into the cavern, Link drawing his sword and shield, while Zelda drew her dagger.

The first tunnel had a large series of stalactites and stalagmites. Before they began on their journey, Zelda stopped and folded her hands, readying a spell. Link asked, "What are you doing?"

"I'm casting Farore's Wind," she answered. "It is a spell that will allow us to warp back to the entrance once we get the Spiritual Stone."

After explaining the spell, a green ball of light formed in her hands. She then tossed it forward and it hovered in the air. "Okay, the warp portal is set," Zelda said. "Once we get the stone, I'll cast the spell once more and we'll be able to warp right back to this spot."

Link nodded and the two then surged forward, the snow inside the cave crunching as Link and Zelda raced through the tunnel. As they ran, they heard a rustling from the ceiling and saw a series of stalactites loosely connected to the ceiling. As they raced underneath the icy spikes hanging from the ceiling, they disconnected from the ceiling and dropped down to the floor, the hero and Queen of Hyrule having to dodge the falling ice spears. They just continued to run, outrunning the falling stalactites.

They soon came to a series of three stalagmites, which Link shattered with a single swing of his sword as the two of them evaded more falling stalactites and soon entered an icy square room with an exit straight ahead. There were also three Freezards in a triangle pattern that were converging on Link and Zelda. Zelda confidently strode forwards and told Link, stay back. I'll handle the Freezards."

Link did as she directed and stayed back as Zelda strode to the center of the room, being as conspicuous as possible as she transformed back into her Queen's dress and ceremonial sword. The Freezards slowly slid along the and went towards Zelda, ignoring Link as he sheathed his sword and watched as Zelda glanced around her, a serious expression on her face as she was concentrating her magic, preparing to cast a spell. She crossed her arms as the Freezards began to converge on her. When they were about six meters away from her, just outside of their ice breaths' ranges. Once they were six meters away, Zelda spread out her arms and a dome of fire erupted all around her. The dome expanded until it was about five meters away from Zelda. The Freezards, knowing that the dome would quickly expand and engulf them, unleashed their frost breath at the dome of flame, hoping to push it back. Streams of icy wind pushed against the dome of fire but did nothing to it. The dome simply expanded and engulfed the Freezards and instantly melted them down into water. When the Freezards died, Link and Zelda heard a chime and they heard the clank of bars rising from a door. Looking ahead, they saw a door leading deeper into the cave. The proceeded to make their way to the door and came to another snowy tunnel.

More stalactites fell from the ceiling as they made their way through the corridor. The snowy trail soon became ice and Link drew his sword as he came across more stalagmites. He shattered the ice spears and ran across the icy floor until he came to the next room, which had spinning ice blades in the center of the room that spanned almost the entire radius of the room. Both Link and Zelda scanned the room and saw that the blades were situated on an icy floor. Looking down at the ice, they saw an outline of snow just beyond the reach of the blades. Scanning the room, they also saw several silver rupees scattered throughout the room. They counted five such jewels. Zelda looked over to Link and told him, "This room contains a Silver Rupee puzzle. We must collect all five silver rupees to open gain access to the next area."

Link nodded and he scanned the room to look for the closest rupee. He found one situated in a small alcove and collected it. As he grabbed it, he heard a musical chime. Zelda went over to another rupee and when she collected it, she heard another musical chime, this one being of a slightly higher pitch. Link looked around and saw another one in the middle of the icy floor. Walking over to it, careful to keep his footing and rolling underneath the spinning ice blades, he managed to collect it and heard another chime. Zelda went over to a group of stalagmites and shattered them with a swing of her sword, revealing the fourth rupee. Collecting it, she heard another chime. Link then spied the final rupee hovering in midair. He soon saw a series of ice steps and climbed the steps, pulling himself up each large step and then stood up and lined himself up so he could jump out to reach the rupee. He leapt out over to the rupee, collecting it and hearing a new chime as well as the grinding of gears as the bars rose over the two exits to the room. He landed and rolled underneath the ice blades as he rejoined Zelda in an alcove.

As he rejoined her, he asked her, "Since the Spiritual Stone is magical, can you sense the stone's power?"

Zelda closed her eyes for a moment before answering, "Yes." She then looked over at an alcove that had not been revealed before. "Follow me," she told Link.

He did so as Zelda led him through an alcove to the left side of the room. They went through another snowy tunnel, shattering another group of stalagmites. It did not take long for them to emerge into another room with a Silver Rupee Puzzle. There was an ice block situated in the middle of the room with a series of pillars that had silver rupees on top of them. Link made his way over to the ice block and glanced around the room in order to where he had to push the block in order to reach each of the rupees. He then pushed the block to a small pillar off in the distance. He then went over to the block and used it as a stepping stone in order to reach the silver rupee. He then pushed the block to the right down to the next pillar at the end of the room. He went over to the block and went up to get the next rupee. He then did the same with the rest of the rupees and after he managed to collect the final rupee, he and Zelda heard a chime and saw the bars rise over a door to the cave's south. They went over to the south and climbed the platforms up to the alcove. They went through the door and entered a snowy tunnel.

When they entered the tunnel, they could feel that they were close to the Spiritual Stone. Shattering the stalagmites in their way, they surged through the tunnel and proceeded to make their way through the tunnel and emerged into a snowy room with walls that had a star-like pattern to them. As they stepped forward, a Stalfos and a White Wolfos rose from the ground and proceeded to launch an attack on the duo. Link glanced over to Zelda and said, "I'll take the Stalfos. You get the White Wolfos."

Zelda nodded and transformed back into her Sheik form while Link raised his sword and shield and rushed towards the Stalfos. The Stalfos raised its sword and attempted to bring it down on Link. Link raised his shield and a loud clang rang out as metal clashed with metal. When Link caught the Stalfos's sword on his blade, he performed a thrust on the Stalfos that he hoped would inflict damage. The skeletal warrior brought its shield into the path of Link's sword and the sword glanced off of the shield. Link then jumped to the side as the Stalfos went to perform a thrust on Link. The stab went wide as Link rolled along the ground and quickly rose, performing a spin with his sword as he brought his sword across the back of the Stalfos. The skeleton was not fast enough to react to Link's Back Slice and the sword sliced through the bones of the Stalfos. The skeleton immediately collapsed into a pile of bones and metal. Link knew that the battle was not over yet, though. Pulling out a bomb, he lit the fuse and placed it on the remains of the Stalfos. Backing away, he waited for the bomb to explode and destroy the Stalfos. After a few seconds, the bomb exploded and reduced the Stalfos to ashes and what was not reduced to ashes was sent flying too far away for the skeleton to re-form. Link then went to see how Zelda was doing against the White Wolfos.

As for Zelda, she was doing fine against the White Wolfos. The white wolf-like enemy ran around the Hyrulean Queen, looking for the perfect opening to strike. Zelda did not lower her guard at all, but she also did not make a move, waiting for the wolf-like enemy to open itself up to attack by performing an attack of its own. The White Wolfos obliged Zelda by rearing back on its hind legs and taking two swipes at Zelda with its claws. The first swipe was not long enough, Zelda backing away from the attack. Zelda proceeded to backflip over the second slash, which turned the Wolfos around entirely. Zelda saw this as her opportunity to strike and thrust her blade into the back of the White Wolfos. The White Wolfos gave a howl as it immediately erupted into an unnatural blue flame. The flame burned until it consumed the beast and the Wolfos was destroyed.

Immediately upon the fall of the White Wolfos, a treasure chest sprang into existence in the center of the room. Link and Zelda went over to it and Link opened the chest. A light shined forth from the chest as Link looked in and drew out its contents. When he turned around, he held up a brilliant blue stone that seemed like it was split into three stones on top of a gold branch, almost as if it were a three-leaf clover. Going over to Zelda, Link asked, "Is this it?"

Zelda took one look at the stone and nodded. "That's the stone. Let's get out of here."

She then formed a green ball of energy in her hand and motioned for Link to join her. He did so and they felt a rushing sensation as the green ball of energy expanded over them and they instantly disappeared from the icy room inside the Ice Cavern, and right back at its entrance. With Spiritual Stone in hand, they proceeded to exit the Ice Cavern.

The duo quickly made their way across the ice pads in Zora's Fountain and proceeded to make their way over to the pier. Not stopping, they proceeded to make their way back into Zora's Domain, making their way down the tunnel and back into the throne room. When they entered the throne room, they saw Ralis standing before them. As he saw them, he waved to them and asked, "Were you successful?"

Zelda nodded and showed him Zora's Sapphire. When he saw it, he nodded and said, "Excellent. Did you have any trouble in the cavern?"

"Not too much," Zelda answered. "There were a few Freezards, a White Wolfos, and a Stalfos, but it was nothing we could not handle."

"That's good," Ralis replied. "Is there anything else we can do to help?"

"Not really," Zelda answered. "You've done more than enough. Just keep Zora's Domain safe."

"I will," Ralis answered, nodding. "Good luck on your quest," he wished.

"Thank you," Zelda replied, bowing to the king.

Link and Zelda then made their way out of the throne room, knowing that they likely did not have much time before Ganondorf would be able to track them down. They made their way down the Domain and back to Epona. The Zora saw them coming and waved to them, showing that Epona was okay. They went over to him and paid him fifty rupees for looking after Epona. They then mounted Epona and turned her around. With a single kick, Link directed Epona to run down the canyon and back into Hyrule Field.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12:

Meanwhile, back on Hyrule Field, Link and Zelda rode Epona through the field, taking the shortest route to Hyrule Castle Town that they knew. Despite the cheery weather and bright sunlight that shown down on the field, the ride was anything but calm, for the stakes were too high for not only Link and Zelda, but also for Hyrule as a whole. Link focused on guiding Epona while Zelda looked out from her bandages around the field in order to make sure that they were not being pursued by Ganondorf or his minions. So far, they had not encountered any enemies, but were not holding out much hope of Ganondorf waiting around for them to pull the Master Sword, even if he _did_ want them to do so, which was a great cause for concern. As such, Zelda studied her surroundings, searching for any signs of potential pursuit. So far, there was none.

That changed about a half hour into the trip. She had been looking forward for a bit when she turned around and caught a glimpse of motion off in the distance behind them. The glimpse of motion vanished as they went over a small hill and proceeded back down towards the castle town. She then turned her head to her right and saw another series of dots on the horizon. She focused on these dots and extended her magical vision, fearing the worst. Indeed, her fears were realized when she saw that the dots were, indeed, Bulblin riders and archers. Turning to Link, she alerted him, "Link, we've got Bulblins to our rear. They're riding Bullbos and are coming in force."

Link nodded and he spurred Epona forward, not wanting to drive her too hard, but still wanting to put some more distance between the Bulblins and themselves. So far, they could not feel the footfalls of the Bulblins' boar-like steeds, or hear the cries of the riders or any other enemy, for that matter, so they felt that they still had a chance to outrun the enemies and not have to waste a large number of arrows and other munitions in order to deal with them.

For the next half hour, Link and Zelda rode towards Hyrule Castle Town, Zelda getting out the bow that Link gave her and readying an arrow for when the Bulblins got within firing range. For most of the half hour, the Bulblin riders were nothing more than specs in the distance, but as the ride continued, they gradually grew larger and they were more easily identifiable. There was a clear leader, riding a larger than normal Bullbo with pitch-black fur and silver armor protecting its head. Zelda turned to Link and informed him, "They're gaining on us, and I've identified their leader. He's a large Bulblin riding a large armored Bullbo."

Link nodded and asked, "How close are they?"

"They're not within firing range just yet," she answered. "Don't worry too much about them. Just focus on getting us to the castle town. I'll deal with the Bulblins once they get within range."

Link nodded and continued to focus on riding to Hyrule Castle Town. Meanwhile, Zelda drew out an arrow and readied it, wanting to be prepared if a group of Bulblins set up an ambush and was within firing range before the main group reached them. So far, though, there had not been any signs of ambushes and the Bulblins that were pursuing them appeared to be the only ones left.

Things quickly changed, though, when an arrow shot past Link's head, missing him by inches. Turning around, he caught a glimpse of several more riders following after him. These riders were women with dark tanned skin and orange hair. They wore purple tops that only covered their breasts, with purple pants, leaving their midriffs exposed. They had slightly pointed ears, similar to Ganondorf's, and long noses, though that trait was partially concealed by the masks they wore. Many of them were armed with glaives, along with the standard bows and arrows, while others seemed to be armed with scimitars. Zelda instantly recognized them as being Gerudos. "Pick up the pace, Link," she called to the hero. "We've got Gerudos on our backs."

Link nodded and spurred Epona forward with another kick. Zelda, not wanting to reveal her Light Arrows just yet, took out the Bulblin bow Link had given to her and she notched an arrow to its string. She pulled back on the string and let fly with a single arrow, targeting the lead Gerudo rider. Her aim was true and the Gerudo was hit in the throat, killing her and causing her to fall off her horse. Zelda quickly notched another arrow to her bow and with her second shot, felled another Gerudo. She then felled two more Gerudos with a third and fourth arrow.

As soon as the fourth Gerudo fell, the two remaining Gerudos in the unit that had been pursuing them eased up on their pace and broke off their pursuit. However, that was of little comfort to the queen as two more squads of Gerudos came from behind a hill and began to pursue the two of them once more. She began unloading more arrows into the pursuing Gerudos, making certain to try to knock them off their horses so their bodies would trip the horses, or at least cause them to stumble and slow them down.

As she was dealing with the Gerudos, the Bulblins had managed to catch up to Link and Zelda. Wasting no time, Zelda turned her attention towards the closest enemy, the leader of the Bulblin attack force. With unerring accuracy, she fired an arrow directly at the Bulblin leader and felled him, hitting the goblin-like enemy between the eyes. Her next arrow took down a Gerudo warrior wearing a white top and pants. She continued to alternate between the Gerudos and the Bulblins until she was out of arrows. Once she was out of arrows, she looked ahead and saw that they were mercifully nearing Hyrule Castle Town.

"I'm out of arrows," Zelda told Link as she prepared a barrage of needles. "We have to get to the town as quickly as possible!"

"Got it," Link answered as he spurred Epona on once more. "Will you need me to do any fighting?"

"No," Zelda answered as she unleashed another barrage of needles, dissuading two Gerudo riders from continuing their pursuit. "I have enough needles to hold them off for the time being."

Link nodded in affirmation as he continued to guide Epona to the town. Zelda then turned and unleashed another barrage of needles at their pursuers. One needle caught a Gerudo in the eye and knocked her off her horse, blinding the Gerudo that was hit, with the resulting fall killing the female thief. Another needle caught a Bulblin in the throat, killing him. The others merely struck their pursuers in various parts of their bodies and while they inflicted a great deal of pain, they were not fatal in and of themselves. Only the subsequent falls of some of the riders were fatal or injured them severely enough to keep them from continuing the pursuit. Another barrage dissuaded more of the riders from continuing the pursuit.

It did not take Link and Zelda long to reach the gates of Hyrule Castle Town. As they approached, they were met by two Gerudo warriors armed with twin scimitars. Link immediately drew his Ordon Sword, with Zelda drawing her knife, and proceeded to charge towards them. As he approached, Zelda tossed a Deku Nut forward, prompting Link to close his eyes and to cover Epona's eyes as well. The nut detonated among the Gerudos, who were instantly blinded and disoriented by the flash of light and the crack of the nut. Link then cut down one of the Gerudos while Epona trampled the other one. After the two Gerudos were dealt with, they proceeded to enter the gate and enter Hyrule Castle Town.

The town did not seem that much different from the time they had left it not too long ago. People were bustling about the town. Merchants were selling their wares and services, with people buying said wares and services, with others simply standing around the town examining the scene. As the two scanned the town, they found no sign of Gerudos or Bulblins. As such, they figured that they were relatively safe. Still, they did not want to take any chances. They also did not want to take Epona too close to the Temple of Time and risk her getting caught up in the fighting. As such, Link took her over to Telma's bar, which had a stall with a barrel of water and some hay. He walked Epona up to the stall and pulled her to a stop. He then dismounted her, with Zelda following suit, and told her, "We have to go to Hyrule Castle, and then, the Temple of Time and we don't want to risk anything happening to you during any fighting. Stay here until I either return or call you."

Epona gave a neigh and rustled her head. She then lowered it so Link could pet her. He did so and he told her not to worry about him, and that he would be back as soon as possible. Once he had pet her one last time, he proceeded to make his way up the alley and towards the Central Square.

They quickly made their way to the central square and then took the north road straight towards the castle. Link immediately got out his bow and readied an arrow. He had a quiver full of arrows and knew that he would not need to worry too much about ammunition this time. Zelda soon took a quick stop into the Malo Mart Castle Town branch in order to stock up on some arrows, not wanting to reveal herself to the shop's proprietor, just in case any spies for Ganondorf were spying on the shop. Once she filled her quiver, she paid the necessary price for the arrows and departed. Once she departed, she followed Link as they passed underneath the archway that led to the castle's courtyard.

As they entered the castle's courtyard, both Link and Zelda, who was still in her Sheik disguise, had their bows out as they hurried across the courtyard and made their way towards the door, keeping their eyes peeled on the pillars and in the sky for any signs of Bulblin archers or Kargaroks wanting to dive bomb them. So far, the area was clear of all enemies. Link knew that his first trek through the castle had inflicted damage on Ganondorf's minions, as had some of his other treks, but he had not anticipated the castle being deserted. From the look in Zelda's eyes, she did not expect this, either. They began to wonder if they were incredibly lucky and that this quest would be over quickly, or if this would be a long and difficult trek to get the ocarina.

As they approached the castle's entrance, they spotted two Moblins. This was more like it. They looked above the walls and saw that the battlements still seemed to be deserted. They then looked back at the two Moblins and hid behind a pillar, readying arrows. Link and Zelda picked their targets carefully and when they had drawn accurate beads on the monsters, they let fly with their arrows. The arrows struck the monsters simultaneously, not allowing either of them to raise an alarm as to the fact that the castle was under attack once more. With the Moblins being felled, Link and Zelda made their way to the entrance, keeping an eye on the battlements to see if there were still any monsters up on the walls that needed to be dealt with. Still, they saw none.

As they arrived at the entrance and saw no enemy soldiers within earshot, Link asked Zelda, "Where, exactly, is the Ocarina of Time?"

"I keep it in a secret vault near my bed chamber," she answered. "There is nothing else of value close to there, so unless Ganondorf's forces knew to look for the ocarina there, chances are that it was not found."

Link nodded as he went to push the doors open and grant himself and Zelda entry to the castle. Once the doors opened, they went on through. Upon entering the castle, Link examined the scene and found that it had not changed all that much, save for the fact that the bodies had been removed. As Link stepped out, he focused on the balconies above them, remembering that on his last trip through the castle, that he had been ambushed by Bulblin archers from the balconies. As he stepped out, sure enough, two Bulblin archers emerged and went to rain arrows down on Link and Zelda. However, Link had expected this and countered by firing an arrow of his own at one of the Bulblins, with Zelda firing on the other. Both Bulblins were easily dispatched and fell back onto the balconies, arrows protruding from their chests.

Link and Zelda then made their way to the door that led to a hallway. When they entered the hallway, they were met by a Darknut. Link had been able to deal with these soldiers in his first trip through Hyrule Castle during this adventure. With Zelda at his side, and him being fully equipped, the Darknut did not stand a chance. Readying a Bomb Arrow, he fired it at the Darknut. The Darknut raised his shield to protect his chest, but the arrow was aimed at the armored soldier's feet. The Bomb Arrow exploded and blew off several pieces of armor from the Darknut. Zelda then joined in by launching a fireball at the Darknut. It streaked from her cupped hands and rocketed to the Darknut, where it disappeared for an instant before reappearing and detonating right on the Darknut. More armor was blown off the soldier and soon, the soldier discarded his large sword and shield. This caused him to become more vulnerable to explosives, which Link was quick to take advantage of as he placed a Bombling on the ground and let it walk towards the Darknut. Zelda was quick to use an arrow to distract the Darknut, firing arrow after arrow into the soldier until the Bombling reached him and exploded, destroying the Darknut.

Once the battle was over, Zelda turned to Link and said, "Follow me. My tower isn't far, but I'm worried that my use of a fire spell may have alerted anyone with magical abilities that I'm back in the castle."

Link did as Zelda bade and he followed her, keeping his bow out and stringing an arrow to it, readying himself for any unexpected surprises. They soon reached a door, which Zelda shoved open, revealing a short corridor that was occupied by two purple Bokoblins. Link, not wanting to waste an arrow against the Bokoblins, put his bow and arrow away and drew out his sword, charging the imp-like monsters. The imp-like monsters promptly charged Link and raised their spiked clubs as if they were going to launch an attack on him. He raised his shield and caught the first Bokoblin's attack on his shield, a loud clang ringing out as metal clashed against metal, as he thrust his sword into the chest of the second Bokoblin, taking him out of the fight. With a second thrust, the first Bokoblin was felled and the two Hylians made their way down the corridor and towards the exit.

When they exited the corridor, they found themselves in a stairwell. They climbed the stairs, meeting no resistance on the way, and soon emerged close to a bridge that led to another, much taller tower. "That's our destination," Zelda blurted, looking out at the tower.

They also looked out over the bridge and saw two Moblins standing guard on it. The Moblins turned at the sound of Zelda's voice and noticed the two Hylians. They did not recognize Zelda in her Sheik disguise, but regardless, they both gripped their spears and charged towards the two Hylians. Link and Zelda did not have any time to draw their bows and arrows, but Link still had his dual Clawshots, so he pulled them out and fired them at the two charging Moblins. The claws remained contracted as they were launched forward towards the charging pig-like enemies. The claws scored direct hits on the Moblins, piercing their armor and gouging massive holes into the bodies of the beasts. The pig-like monsters fell forward as Link pulled back the claws, the monsters bursting into unnatural green flames.

The two made their way across the bridges, both keeping an eye on the sky and on the other towers not too far away, wanting to make sure that there were no guards spying on them. As they approached the tower, the door opened and a group of four female warriors wearing baggy white pants and tops of different colors, one red, one green, one blue, and the other purple, all of them with their midriffs bare, came out to meet the two Hylians. Zelda recognized them as being Gerudos. "So the former Queen of Hyrule comes to meet us," the Gerudo with the red top stated casually.

The others gave a laugh but neither Link nor Zelda were amused as they drew their blades in preparation for the upcoming battle. The Gerudos began the engagement by drawing twin scimitar-like blades and running towards Link. Link raised his shield and readied his own sword as the Gerudos came towards him. Before arriving at Link, the Gerudos split up, two of them, the ones with the red and green tops facing off against Link, with the ones in blue and purple tops turning to deal with Zelda.

Before the two Gerudos that went to deal with Link managed to reach him, Link took out a Deku Nut and hurled it at them. The Gerudos knew to close their eyes so as to avoid being blinded, but they did not count on the hero being fast enough to break through their defenses, as the Gerudo with the green top found out the hard way as Link thrust his blade forward and managed to pierce the woman's chest, his blade going through her heart. The Gerudo with the red top swung her blades at Link but he managed to catch her attack on his shield. He thrust his shield forward and knocked the woman off balance, giving him an opening for him to attack. He did so and thrust his blade into the Gerudo's heart, killing her.

Link then turned to go and help Zelda but found that Zelda had already dealt with her Gerudos. She had opened up the battle by launching a series of needles at the Gerudos. Several had managed to strike the Gerudos and a variety of painful areas and joints, allowing Zelda to go for the quick kill as the Gerudos had to not only fight the supposed Sheikah ninja, but also the pain they were feeling, for Zelda had dipped these needles in a poison that would inflict great pain upon the target. The Gerudos were no match for her and she quickly dispatched them. In less than thirty seconds, four Gerudos lay dead on the tower and the two Hylians continued to make their way across the bridge.

As they continued to cross the bridge, Link and Zelda studied the other towers in order to make sure that they were not walking into any ambushes. So far, the castle seemed to be deserted, save for the token force that they had fought to get to this point. What made them take notice, though, was that besides the four Gerudos they had fought, each of who seemed to be high-ranking members of the Gerudo thieves, they had not fought any other rank and file Gerudo soldiers. Looking around, they found no guards on or near the other towers and there were no Kargaroks patrolling the skies near Hyrule Castle. Still, there was a feeling of unease with both Link and Zelda and they carefully made their way over to the tower, and promptly made their way into the tower.

Inside the tower, Link found another stairwell that led to the top. Zelda quickly ascended the stairwell, Link running after her with his sword drawn, just in case they came across some enemies. The tower's stairwell was free of any enemy presence, though, and the duo quickly came to the top of the tower.

When they came to the top of the tower, Link saw Zelda go through the door and into the room. He decided to wait outside so Zelda could get the ocarina in her room. The interior of Zelda's bedchamber was luxuriously furnished with a red carpet and had a picture of herself along with her parents from when she was young. It had numerous bookcases, each filled with books, mostly having to do with the study of magic, and of other important pieces of information about Hyrule and some small secrets about Hyrule. There was also a plush bed, even more luxurious than the one that she had slept in as a princess. This one had light green sheets, a pillow, and a mattress. There were also a few chairs and a table for her as well, along with some cabinets. There were boxes full of jewels on the table and visible inside the cabinets. Despite its relatively small size for a true living quarters, it could suffice for that if she needed it to. There was also a balcony that allowed her to look out over Hyrule and the castle town. There was a dresser near her bed that had a box of jewels and a sack of gold coins. However, that was merely a diversion for any thief that wanted valuables. Inside the dresser was a small box with a plush lining that contained what she was looking for. She opened it and looked inside, seeing a blue ocarina there. The ocarina gave off a sparkle and she could feel its magic. She smiled. She now had the final tool needed for getting to the Master Sword so Link could draw it from the Pedestal of Time. She placed it in her pocket and then closed the box and put it back in her dresser. She then departed her room and rejoined Link outside.

When she rejoined Link outside, he asked, "Do you have it?"

She gave a smile and produced the ocarina. "We now have everything we need in order to draw the Master Sword."

Link then nodded and he led the way down the stairwell. The two retraced their steps down the stairwell and to the tower's exit. They exited the tower and wasted no time crossing the bridge and retracing their path out to the exit of the castle. As they backtracked to the exit, they faced down some straggling Bulblins and Bokoblins, but the monsters were no real threat. They casually cast them aside and proceeded on their way, and exited the castle.

After they exited the castle, they made their way back to the central square. As soon as she stepped into the square, Zelda noticed her Triforce mark begin to glow. She looked down at it and realized that Ganondorf was not far behind. "Link, we have to hurry," she called over to the Hylian hero. "My Triforce mark is glowing, likely meaning that Ganondorf is near."

Link promptly checked his own Triforce mark and found that it, too, was glowing. He then picked up the pace, running through the square, with Zelda quickly following him. Once they approached the fountain, Link stopped so he could get his bearings and allow Zelda to catch up. Once she did, he asked her, "Where's Lanayru's Temple of Time? You know more about this temple than I do."

"Follow me," Zelda directed as she went to guide Link to its location.

Link hurried after Zelda as she ran towards the temple. As they entered the Center Square, itself, they turned towards an otherwise nondescript alley that led to an area with a flower garden and two pools situated outside of a large building. Ducking into the alley, they made their way towards a large building. The building did not seem to look all that special from the outside. It simply looked like an ordinary, if relatively large, temple for the worship of the old gods. It was made of brick with two tower-like structures on the side. It had a large gray doorway with two stain glass windows on the front, with several larger windows above the doorway. As the two went down the alley, they came upon a small grove that was lined with four gossip stones, ovular stones with the Sheikah symbol of an eye with a single tear on it. Making their way past the stones and the flower garden, they turned and followed the path between the pools to the entrance to the temple, itself. Before entering, they took one last look around the area to see if there were any signs of Ganondorf and his minions. Seeing none, they entered the Temple, hoping that they had arrived before Ganondorf and would be able to draw the Master Sword uncontested.

The main chamber of the temple had a floor with gray and dark gray tiles, and walls made of gray bricks with windows on the walls high above the floor. Light poured in through the windows, giving a more cheerful, or at least a feeling of more security against evil, than other places had. A platform with a large Triforce symbol was situated on the center of the floor, with a stone altar in the distance. Behind the altar was what looked to be a door with a symbol that looked like a sun with rays shooing out from its center. Above the door was another Triforce symbol. It was pitch black, which told Link that it was part of the key for entering the door below it and gaining access to the Master Sword. Link and Zelda promptly made their way up to the altar and found three slots. "These slots are for holding the Spiritual Stones. The three Spiritual Stones: the Kokiri's Emerald, Goron's Ruby, and Zora's Sapphire have to be placed in these slots with the Ocarina of Time then playing the Song of Time in order to open the door to the Master Sword."

Zelda then stepped forward and took out the Ocarina of Time. She then placed the ocarina to her lips and then blew into the instrument. A calm song came out from the ocarina, Link recognizing it as one of the howling songs that the Hero's Shade in his Golden Wolf form had howled when teaching him his hidden skills. As soon as the song had been played, the Triforce symbol above the door began to glow and what sounded like an orchestra seemed to join in the playing of the song. Link heard a rumbling and the ground began to tremble. Looking forward, he saw the a crack form in the middle of the door and it begin to part to either side, granting him and Zelda access to the temple's inner chamber and the Master Sword. They took the steps up to the door and went on through.

The duo entered a hexagon-shaped chamber and in the middle, they saw a platform with a pedestal in its center, and the Master Sword inserted into the pedestal. Surrounding the pedestal were the symbols of the Six Sages that Link had encountered during his previous adventure. Link walked up to the sword, Zelda coming up behind him, and he stood over the sword. He could not help but notice that it seemed a little smaller than it had in the Temple of Time in the Sacred Grove. This one looked to be not quite as thick and possibly not quite as long as the other one, either. Still, he could tell that the sword held a great power that would be sufficient to take down Ganondorf and end the threat posed by the Gerudo King once and for all. He gripped the sword with both hands and then pulled it from the pedestal, the sword coming out easily. There, he waited for a second, almost as if he expected something else to happen. When nothing happened he swung it through the air and noticed that it felt almost the same as it had when he wielded the blade during the Twilight Invasion. Not only that, but upon looking at the sword more closely, he noticed a faint blue glow within the blade that had not been present inside the Master Sword when he had wielded it during the Twilight Invasion. He sheathed the blade and went over to Zelda.

As he made his way over to Zelda, he noticed a dagger encased in a red field of energy rushing towards Zelda. He ran out in front of her and, sensing that the energy sheath would allow the dagger to penetrate his shield, drew the Master Sword and sliced the incoming dagger with a downward strike. As he did so, though, the magical shroud around the dagger instantly disappeared and the dagger was split in two, each piece flying by Link and missing Zelda. However, when the dagger split, he noticed several drops of a red liquid that he had a bad feeling was blood emerge from the dagger. He was uncertain what that meant until he saw the faint blue glow flicker and vanish for a second. As soon as the glow vanished for the brief second, a golden ray of light shined upon the sword and he noticed Zelda keel over, seemingly in shock. Looking over to the room's entrance, he saw Ganondorf standing in it, the ray of light shining upon the sword coming from the Triforce mark on his hand. Link tried to pull the sword back but was unable to do so.

"Ghirahim had no chance of reviving Demise because he did not know what had to be done in order to do so," Ganondorf mocked. "I, on the other hand, do. I've spent so much time planning this moment, Link. Far more than you or Zelda can imagine. I will free Demise. And then, I'll let you two destroy him. You should be thankful to me. You will finally have the opportunity to ensure Hyrule's safety and make certain that I never return again."

Ganondorf gave one last laugh as a golden orb rose from Zelda. Her eyes went wide with shock and pain as the blood that had touched the Master Sword rose from the blade and expanded until it formed the shape of a human. The golden orb of energy that rose from Zelda then traveled to the human shape of blood and penetrated it. Upon entering the humanoid form of blood, a body resembling Zelda immediately formed around the blood, encasing it. As that was happening, the beam of light touching the Master Sword continued to shine on it. After a second, a black mist began to rise from the sword, following the beam of light. As the mist rose, it congealed into a single dark vortex of swirling smoke. The beam of light retracted from the sword, pulling the smoke along with it. As it was doing so, the sword's faint blue glow began to appear again, originating from the ricasso and gradually moving up the blade. As the glow was returning, Link could feel the pull of Ganondorf's beam as it was doing its best to pull the black smoky vortex from the blade. Eventually, with one last yank, the rest of the smoky vortex was freed, the last yank causing Link to stumble forward a bit.

As the vortex was freed, it soon began to change again. It congealed into a more liquid-like form until it eventually solidified into a large behemoth that looked to simply be a large mouth with short legs and long arms. It was pitch black and had scaly skin and teeth were visibly jutting out from the monster's lower jaw. Just above its head was a large, jagged black halo with large points pointing in the four cardinal directions.

Link attempted to attack and swung the Master Sword at it, but the sword was unable to pierce its hide. Ignoring Link, it turned to see Zelda standing before it, her eyes wide with shock as she witnessed Link's attack do nothing to it. Zelda would not remain in her state of shock for long, though, as she would eventually blink and draw her Light Bow. As she did so, she strung a Light Arrow to it. The beast recoiled at the sight of the light and turned away. She then fired the Light Arrow at the beast. The Light Arrow rocketed towards the beast, which Zelda knew was Demise. The arrow scored a direct hit on the beast and exploded in a flash of light. The explosion of light then congealed into balls of light that were drawn back into the monster, where they hit it and exploded again, engulfing it in the deadly light. The beast promptly reared back and roared in pain. While it was vulnerable, Link went to strike the beast, slashing at its legs so as to disable it so he could stab it in the head and finish it off, as well as make it easier for Zelda to finish it off. The beast, called The Imprisoned from centuries past, roared in pain as its legs were repeatedly slashed.

All the while, Ganondorf watched the fight with amused interest. He watched as Zelda repeatedly shot the demon beast and Link slashed at its legs. Still, he felt as if the legs were not the primary means of transportation that the beast would use to get around. For a moment, he considered getting rid of the lifeless blood clone of Zelda he had created. He needed Demise to be defeated before gaining the Triforce and wishing for the breaking of the curse. However, he did not want to face a fresh Zelda and Link, knowing from his previous battle against them, that they were formidable opponents. To that end, he realized that he would need Demise to assume a form that could actually fight the two of them, even if that meant that Demise would fight _him_, too.

Wasting no time, he used the Triforce of Power to put a spark of energy in the body. While the energy would not be life energy, it could simulate life energy closely enough to confuse the demon and cause him to consume it. Then, with the piece of Zelda's life energy, as well as the power of the Triforce of Power, and a body of Zelda, Demise should be able to become whole once more, if a bit weakened, which would not be too bad since he could "team up" with Demise to deal with Link and Zelda, letting one of them kill Demise while he dealt with the other, making sure not to kill them until Demise was dead and him already having wished upon the completed Triforce.

The demon beast was faring very poorly against Link and Zelda, who had it on the ropes. Looking over, it saw the lifeless but energy filled blood clone of Zelda that Ganondorf had created. Sensing that this was not a real person, but not being too worried about it since Link and Zelda were killing it, it decided that it would take the risk and used its arms to launch itself over to the blood clone. Zelda pulled back on the string of her Light Bow and went to attack, but Ganondorf fired a magical blast of energy from his hand at the queen, which hit her and sent her flying through the air, causing her arrow to sail wide of the beast. She landed a few feet away from her launch point and was not badly hurt, but was dazed enough for Link to go over and check on her condition. He offered her a serving of Lon Lon Milk, which she gratefully accepted.

As Link was attending to Zelda's needs, The Imprisoned dragged itself over to Zelda's blood clone and promptly devoured it. As it did so, it began to change once more. Its monstrous form began to melt and disintegrate, becoming black smoke, which soon condensed into a much smaller form. The form soon changed once more, becoming far more humanoid. Eventually, the black energy formed into dark scales like those of a reptile. Another piece formed into a kilt. After a few moments, the true form of Demise was revealed. He had dark scaly skin and was wearing a kilt, which covered his groin area and the backs of his legs, but left the front of his legs exposed. He also had fire for hair, which produced a long mane, had glowing red eyes, and claws for fingernails. It was clear by looking at him, though, that there were burns on his body, indicating that the damage he had sustained as The Imprisoned was translated onto his body as he formed his true self.

He gazed around at the scene before him, seeing Ganondorf coming over to him while Link helped Zelda up and the two came to face Demise. Demise looked over at Ganondorf and instantly recognized something in him. "Who are you?" the Demon King asked.

"I am Ganondorf," the Gerudo King answered.

"There's something about you," the Demon King said. "Something familiar."

Ganondorf merely shrugged. He then pointed at Link and Zelda, who had risen and were ready to face them, Zelda charging a Light Arrow and Link readying the Master Sword. Demise cursed as he saw Link. "So, you're here, too," he said. "As is Hylia." He then gave a mock bow towards Zelda and added, "Your Grace," in a mocking tone.

Zelda and Link gave no reaction as they raced towards the two. Ganondorf turned to Demise and warned him, "Don't underestimate these two. They may not be the same Link and Zelda you fought before being sealed, but they are just as powerful, if not more so. You'll need my help in order to defeat them."

Demise looked down at his body and noticed that he was missing his sword. He did not worry about that just yet, as he looked back at Ganondorf and casually replied, "Yes, it appears as if I will." He then subtly backed away a bit, looking like he was preparing a magical attack as he began to chant.

Ganondorf also looked to be readying an attack on Link and Zelda when Demise stepped up behind him and went to throw a punch that would have taken off the head of a normal person, and at the very least have either knocked a magical warrior unconscious or dazed him. The Gerudo King sensed the attack coming, though, and with blinding speed, turned and caught Demise's punch in his hand. He barely shuddered as he stopped Demise's punch and held his fist in position. Demise's eyes went wide with shock as he found himself unable to move his fist. He then tried to pull it away, only for it to be held onto tightly by the Gerudo King.

"But how?" Demise stammered. "You're an incarnation of myself! You only have the power you do because of a curse I placed on the Link and Zelda of Skyloft! You must give me my power back."

Ganondorf only grinned as Demise spoke. "I have a new source for my power," he stated as he grinned. The Triforce of Power then glowed brilliantly in his hand, becoming so bright that its golden glow nearly blinded Demise. Demise could not hide his shock.

"You have the power of the old gods," the Demon King stammered. His greatest dream had been to acquire the Triforce. He had launched an invasion against the surface world in order to obtain the sacred power. He had fought against Hylia to obtain it, and had been sealed, first inside the Sealed Temple, and later inside the Master Sword, for his efforts. And here was this mortal incarnation of his hatred, already having acquired a portion of the power of the old gods, quite possibly the strongest portion. Judging from the fact that only one triangle was glowing, the Triforce of Power, he suspected that the other two pieces were wielded by others. His suspicions were soon confirmed as the Triforce of Wisdom and the Triforce of Courage soon glowed in the hands of Zelda and Link, respectively.

Seeing the other two triangles glow in the hands of his hated enemies caused him to seethe with rage. He soon regained his composure, though, and spoke to Ganondorf, telling him, "Listen to me, incarnation. I take it that Link and Zelda are your enemies as well. Join with me now. Together, we can obtain the power of the gods and rule this world."

"I know," Ganondorf stated. Still, he did not release Demise's fist. He then gripped it all the harder as he drew back one of his legs. He then shoved it forward into Demise's chest. The force of the kick sent him flying backwards, the grip on his fist, plus the force of the kick sending him flying, causing him to lose his arm as his body flew into the wall while Ganondorf merely held onto the arm.

Demise roared in agony as he looked down at the ground, white glowing demonic blood, or as close to blood as a demon could have, flowing from the stump of his right shoulder. "You fool!" he cried. "I am a Demon King! My army will…"

"You are nothing more than a pathetic shell of a Demon King," Ganondorf roared, interrupting Demise. "A Demon King that had already been surpassed by his own weapon." Ganondorf's grin soon returned. "Yes, I faced Ghirahim. I defeated him with just as much ease as I'm…doing things…to you now." That last bit was added with a sneer. "You're pathetic." He then neared the Demon King. "I've waited for this for a long time, ever since I realized my connection to you," Ganondorf began. "Now I will kill you. And once that is finished, I will obtain the rest of the Triforce from Link and Zelda. Then I will wish for your curse to be broken. And once the curse is broken, I will be free to rule Hyrule without having to worry about a Hero chosen by the gods showing up, and/or an incarnation of Hylia returning to thwart my every move! I will be free; free to conquer Hyrule once and for all!"

The Gerudo King's proclamation only caused Demise to laugh weakly. "Is that your master plan?" he asked. "You wish to break a curse that can keep you going?" He then narrowed his gaze onto Ganondorf. "You should be thankful to me for that curse. It is the reason you're still alive, today."

"And it's the reason Zelda is alive today!" Ganondorf roared in response, jabbing a finger at the Demon King. "Zelda had died saving the Twilight Princess. She should be dead, but no, because of your curse, she was still alive. That is why I know that if I kill Link right now, either he will revive or sooner or later, there will simply be another Link to rise up and stop me! This cycle is the reason I will never win! Now, I'm going to end it."

Ganondorf then drew out his Sage's Sword and swung it through the air. He went to stab it into Demise's head to kill him when the Demon King vanished into thin air, causing him to stab the wall, instead. He looked around and saw the Demon King standing on the platform that had the Pedestal of Time. Demise's right arm then quickly grew back and once it had returned, he flexed it. "Not bad," he stated absently. It was not certain if he was commenting on his strength or directing the statement to Ganondorf. He then faced the Gerudo King and told him, "You are powerful, I'll grant you that. But you shouldn't be so arrogant. I learned that lesson the hard way a long time ago."

He then waved his hands in the air and slammed his hand down onto the ground. The moment he did so, a dark blade appeared on the ground. The blade was damaged, appearing chipped, corroded, and burnt. There was a slot that looked like it was supposed to house a gemstone, but the gem was not there. Link and Zelda's eyes went wide as they recognized the blade as being the sword that Ghirahim inhabited.

"So he managed to inflict significant damage to Ghirahim," Demise noted absently. "Still, I can sense the blade's essence holding on by a thread." Looking up at Ganondorf, he then said, "Soon, you will see just how dangerous I can really be!"

He then snapped his fingers and the Ghirahim sword flashed and was instantly repaired and the jewel at the center of the blade reappeared in perfect condition. He then held the blade high in the air. After a second, a blue glow formed around the blade and he then sliced it downward, sending a blue wave of energy Ganondorf's way. Ganondorf made no move as the wave of energy hit him head on. Demise watched as the energy wave hit him and immediately dispersed, as if hitting a shield, inflicting no damage to the Gerudo King. Ganondorf merely grinned. "Is that all you've got?" he mocked.

Demise was shocked when he saw that Ganondorf had not suffered any damage from his attack. He would be even more surprised when a glowing golden triangle appeared beneath him. He looked down at the triangle and looked back up to face Ganondorf, smirking. "You think this will do anything to me?" he asked mockingly.

As soon as he had asked the question, shafts of light erupted from the triangle and engulfed the Demon King. The Demon King gave a cry of pain as he was engulfed by the damaging light. "Yes, I do," Ganondorf answered sarcastically. He then rushed the Demon King, drawing his Sage's Sword, and thrust it into the demon's chest. Demise tried to parry or block the blow, but was too slow and Ganondorf got through his guard. As soon as the sword pierced Demise's flesh, pain was the only thing he knew. It exploded from the wound and engulfed his entire body. The Demon King opened his mouth as if to scream but only a gasp of shock came out. He then tried to breathe but he found it difficult to do so. He could feel his energy fading. Life was leaving his body, and this time, there would be no salvation. He could feel Ganondorf using the Sage's Sword to channel the power of the Triforce of Power, ensuring that his curse would not go off. The end was coming fast. The Gerudo King merely laughed. "So this the mighty Demise, the King of Demons?" he asked, almost in disbelief as to how quickly and easily he had defeated Demise. "Pathetic!"

Meanwhile, Link and Zelda watched as Ganondorf and Demise fought it out, each one content to simply watch as Demise and Ganondorf wailed on each other. They were surprised at how easily the Gerudo King was manhandling the Demon King, despite the fact that Ganondorf had the Triforce of Power. They had expected Demise to be stronger than this. Still, they had no real complaints since they were busy fighting each other, rather than going after them. They would simply wait for the battle to end and pick up the pieces once one of the combatants had defeated the other, the outcome looking like it would be in Ganondorf's favor.

Back in the battle, Demise was not finished yet, despite having a magical sword stick out of his chest. He thrust his leg out and caught Ganondorf in the chest unawares. The kick sent Ganondorf flying back several meters away from Demise and the demon began to rise. He gripped the Sage's Sword, and began to pull out the blade, grimacing and grunting as he put all of his remaining strength into getting the magical sword out of his chest. Eventually, he pulled out the sword and he reversed his grip on it. As soon as the sword emerged, the wound in his chest began to close. He then tossed the sword back at Ganondorf, hoping to skewer the Gerudo King with his throw. Ganondorf caught the blade with ease and grinned contemptuously at Demise's attempt to kill him. He then turned around and saw Link and Zelda simply standing there, watching the battle, awaiting the outcome. Looking back at Ganondorf, he realized that he was no match for the Gerudo King. Turning back to Link and Zelda, he saw that their Triforce marks had faded. He then grinned. He may be no match for Ganondorf in his current state, but if he managed to get a hold of the two remaining pieces of the Triforce, then he might have a chance of defeating the Gerudo King and gaining the true power of the old gods.

He quickly turned his attention towards Zelda and Link, raising his sword high above his head, pointing it straight up. A blue glow soon surrounded the blade. At first, Link was ready to play a dead man's volley with Demise, but he then heard a voice echo through his mind, telling him, _Point the Master Sword to the sky and use a Skyward Strike to neutralize Demise's own version of the technique_.

Not questioning the source of the voice, Link did as he was instructed and he held his sword high into the air. A blue glow soon surrounded the blade and he bought it down just as Demise did the same with his own blade. The two energy waves that were emitted by the swords rocketed through the air and collided with each other, disappearing on contact, each one neutralizing the other. As soon as the energy waves canceled each other out, Zelda pulled out a Light Arrow and pulled back on her bowstring. She then let fly with the arrow, which struck Demise squarely in the chest. The Light Arrow exploded on impact, with the light congealing into smaller balls of light that were drawn back into Demise and engulfed him in light. Demise cried out in pain as he suffered the hit and the explosion of Light. He could feel the electrical sparkles of light arcing across his entire body as he tried to move but was unable to, being paralyzed by the Light Arrow. He could scarcely believe what was happening. How could he be reduced to this joke of a creature?

Link rushed towards him and began slashing at his body, Demise still suffering from the paralyzing effects of the Light Arrow. The first slash bit into his flesh and new waves of agony came over the Demon King as he felt the pure energy of the Master Sword add to the poisonous effects of the Light Arrow. Link repeatedly slashed at his body, inflicting more and more damage to him, the damage beginning to show on the demon's kilt as well as his body. With one final slash, Demise was sent flying to the back of the room, away from Ganondorf, who was merely grinning at the sight, and Zelda, who was readying another Light Arrow. Link then rushed towards him and attempted to finish him off with an Ending Blow. Demise managed to pull his head away from the blow but was not able to avoid it entirely, Link's blade stabbing through his right shoulder. Link withdrew the blade, allowing Demise to roll over and attempt to recover. He found that while he was able to move again, he was still severely wounded, the hole in his shoulder glowing white showing the damage he had suffered. Despite the wound to his shoulder, he knew that the damage was not limited to it and that if he suffered another wound, either by the Light Arrow or the Master Sword, he would likely die.

He looked behind him and saw that the doorway to the Sacred Realm had opened, a doorway appearing as he began. He then saw a Gate of Time to his right and, seeing Link and Zelda coming towards him, raised his sword into the sky and fired it at the gate. The energy wave struck the gate and the door began to glow, with the doorway to the Sacred Realm closing. As the Gate of Time opened, he saw a portal begin to appear. The white portal greatly resembled a cog from a clock and had the symbols of the old gods, Din, Farore, and Nayru on it in a triangular pattern along with a symbol of the Triforce at the center. Looking back at the descendants of Hylia and her Chosen Hero, he saw Zelda pulling back on her bowstring, readying another Light Arrow, while Link prepared to unleash another attack with the Master Sword.

Demise wasted no time running towards the portal. As soon as Zelda saw that he was headed towards the portal, she shot the Light Arrow at the Demon King. The arrow scored a direct hit on Demise and there was another explosion of Light. Still, the attack did not stop Demise's momentum from carrying him through the gate and just as the light from the explosion was congealing into balls of light, the demon disappeared through the gate, with the balls of light simply flying around until they dissipated. As soon as Demise was through the gate, the gate closed and it disappeared.

Ganondorf saw Demise disappear and he seethed with rage. "No!" he screamed as he held out his hand, unable to keep the Demon King from escaping. Still, he was not without his adversaries. Link and Zelda still stood before him and he held out his Sage's Sword, ready to do battle with them.

Zelda and Link had other ideas, though. The Queen of Hyrule turned to Link and cried, "Link, Demise's sword was able to activate that gate. It is called a Gate of Time. It will take you into the past. Chances are that you should be able to get to the era Demise went to just by reactivating the gate. Use your Skyward Strike to activate it. I'll keep Ganondorf busy here."

Link did not question Zelda on how she knew to activate the gate. He merely followed her instructions and went over to the gate. He raised his sword and waited until it glowed. Once it glowed, he brought it down, performing a Skyward Strike. The Skyward Strike activated the gate and the portal appeared once more. Link then ran straight into the portal without a moment's hesitation. As soon as he entered, the portal vanished, leaving Zelda and Ganondorf alone. Ganondorf looked over at Zelda and grinned. "It's just you and me now, Queen Zelda."

"Don't get too cocky, Ganon," Zelda answered in a confident voice. "You can't afford to kill me until Demise is dead. Otherwise this cycle could simply start all over again."

Ganondorf grinned once more. "Don't worry about that, Zelda. I have ways of subduing you and getting the Triforce of Wisdom without killing you. Soon, you will realize just how big a mistake it was to be willing to fight me right now."

Zelda then drew her ceremonial rapier-like sword and held it out in front of her and her Triforce of Wisdom began to glow. Ganondorf's grin did not disappear as Zelda erected a blue diamond-shaped barrier around herself. The battle between Zelda and Ganondorf had begun.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13:

Link emerged through the Gate of Time and found himself in what looked to be the Temple of Time in the past. The air was cheerless, though, and there was no light shining in from any of the windows in the Pedestal of Time's chamber. Looking at the pedestal, he found that the Master Sword was sticking out of the pedestal, just as it had in his own time. As he approached the sword, he expected his own Master Sword to have some kind of reaction being so close to its past incarnation, but there was none. Wasting no more time, the hero went to the exit of the room, hoping to find Demise and finish the demon before he could heal from his injuries. As he approached the exit, he found that the door was closed. As he went to the door, he examined it from top to bottom, trying to see if there was any latch or switch that would open the door. Unfortunately, there was none. Remembering how a Skyward Strike had opened the Gate of Time, he began to wonder if the same strike would open the Door of Time, especially since the Master Sword of this time was still embedded in the pedestal. He held his blade high in the air and waited for it to glow blue. Once it did, he slashed downward and sent a wave of energy streaking towards the door. The wave of energy struck the door and the sun-like symbol on the door immediately began to give off a golden glow. As it did so, a ring echoed throughout the room and a crack formed in the middle of the door. The two parts of the door then slid open, granting Link access to the main hall of the temple. With the door open, he went through the door and emerged in the temple's main chamber.

As he did so, he noticed several red stains on the temple's floor, something that had been missing from the temple in his own time. Taking a closer look at them, he felt as if they looked suspiciously like bloodstains. Without any bodies to go with the stains, though, he suspected that they were not the handiwork of Demise, or at least not the Demise that he was pursuing. Glancing around the floor, he saw what looked to be shards of metal, glass, and pieces of clothing littering parts of the floor, but no bodies to go with them. Looking up at the windows, he noticed that, just like the inner sanctum, there was no light coming from the windows. It was as if all light in Hyrule was being blotted from the sky. Not bothering to investigate further, he proceeded to the temple's exit.

When he got outside, he was shocked at what he saw and heard, for he heard the sounds of a thunderstorm echoing all about the landscape. Looking around at his immediate surroundings, he saw that the temple still had the garden and pools that lined the path leading up to it, but the pools were devoid of water, and the garden had no flowers. The only signs of life were a few weeds that looked to be barely clinging to life. The winds carried the sounds of battle as Link heard the clashing of swords and the cries of the injured and dying. Looking up into the sky, instead of the sun, moon, stars, or even clouds, he only saw incredible vortices of energy alive and animated, expanding and contracting, roiling in anger as they were directed against one or more lights and beings in the sky that Link did not recognize. As the vortices collided, massive explosions rang out and several of the lights in the sky vanished. Others merely glowed for a bit only to return to normal and continue flying and firing their own beams of light. The scene was reminiscent of birds battling each other in the sky, each one dive-bombing each other in an attempt to either cause the other to flee or knock him or her out of the sky. Continuing to focus on the sky, he also saw numerous glints of light flitting about enormous monsters, many of which looked to be the size of castles with some looking to be the size of small towns or even larger. Other beings also contested with the monsters and Link recognized the Light Spirits as they flew about a serpentine behemoth the size of Hyrule Castle Town that breathed fire and scorched an area that looked like it could have contained the entirety of Lanayru Province without batting an eye. It then breathed another blast of fire onto the monkey-like Faron, who absorbed the blow seemingly without feeling it.

Looking in other areas of the sky, he also saw smaller beings that resembled dragons. Some had multiple heads, while others had but one head. Some were serpentine while others had thick, muscled bodies with four legs. Some were even bipedal and more closely resembled humanoids than beasts. These still had horns, though. All of the dragons were breathing fire at some other dragons that were lower in the sky and, while not as large as some of the other larger dragons, were still quite powerful. The serpentine and quadrupedal dragons higher in the sky were ridden by Hylian-like riders in ornate suits of armor of various colors and styles. Some of it was crystal clear, allowing one to see through it and the parts of the body beneath it, as if the riders were naked, while others were gold or silver, covering all of the body of the soldiers save for the heads. One particular dragon and rider appeared to be unusually powerful, casting a magical spell that generated a huge vortex above him that consumed several smaller flickers of light. Focusing on that part of the sky, he thought he could see the forms of the old gods, the red flame of Din, the green of Farore, and the blue of Nayru flying in the sky. Soon, a round rock the size of a small moon appeared from one of the roiling vortices, coming straight down towards Hyrule. Din, however, intercepted the moon-like body and fired a blast of flame at it, blowing a large hole in its center. The blast of flame continued to sweep across the body until it shattered, the powers of the other two goddesses sending the large shards of rock towards the dragons bearing the riders. One of the dragons took a hit and looked to be destroyed in a massive display of gold light and blue liquid that Link suspected was blood. The rider survived, however, and fired a magical stream of fire back at Din, who erected a shield over herself and an area of the sky to keep the flame from hitting the surface. The shield glowed as the fire washed over it and wisps of it reached beyond its barriers and rained down onto the surface of Hyrule. Link could see the glow of massive fires erupting from various parts of the country. Looking back up, he saw Din's shield straining and about to collapse when Farore and Nayru joined in on the battle, firing green and blue blasts of magical energy that would have devastated the entire planet had they been directed down at the world of Hylia. The blasts of magic clashed with the unknown assailant's magical energies as the skies came alive with fire and lightning as the gods battled. Link saw several other beings that he did not recognize, but figured were lesser gods, engaging the dragons and those riding them, several of them being destroyed by a magical blast of lightning. They were soon avenged, though, as several more magical blasts from the surviving lesser gods incinerated the lead dragon and its rider. Looking back at the battle between the golden goddesses and the lead rider, who had since been joined by two others, who were now firing on the goddesses, he saw that the old gods were more than holding their own against their assailants, pushing back the magical energies of their enemies. Eventually, the battle ended with all three dragons being destroyed, with one rider being outright annihilated, one rider sailing backwards, only to be engulfed by one of the magical vortices and destroyed, and the third being sent hurtling down to the ground, flames and smoke trailing him as he entered the planet's atmosphere.

"Amazing, isn't it," Link heard a familiar voice comment from behind. Turning around, he saw Demise rise up from the empty pool on the left. He looked to be a little better, his body no longer covered in massive scars, but he was still holding his right shoulder with his left hand as his sword was slipped into his belt. "And completely avoidable," the demon added.

Link's eyes widened at what the demon said. "What do you mean, avoidable?"

Demise gave a dark grin. "The gods and the people of the world were warned. They had a chance to avoid this conflict. The Elvanheim could have been diverted, or their own rift could have collapsed and destroyed them. Look into the sky. See how many of the gods are falling."

Link stared into the sky once more and saw several flickers of light go out. Even the lights of Din, Farore, and Nayru were diminishing as they flew higher and higher to meet the rest of the invading host. As if the Triforce of Courage were granting him magical sight, he could identify many of the smaller dots flitting about, flinging magical energies that could level countries at each other seemingly without a care. He could tell which ones were the gods of Hyrule and/or Light Spirits, dragons of Hyrule, and other guardians, and which ones were the invaders.

"None of the people can gain access to the Triforce, thanks to the Master Sword and the lack of the Spiritual Stones," Demise stated darkly. "And yet, the Triforce would have made all the difference. It _would_ have caused any of the disasters I just spoke of to happen to the Magic Host and destroy them. As it is now, the Magic Host got through, and you are seeing the results right here."

"How could this have been avoided?" Link asked. "Who knew of their coming and did nothing?"

Demise then gave a laugh. "I saw much from the Master Sword and was still linked to the minds of my servants and even my creators," he began. "There was once a tribe of magic users consisting of multiple races from all across Hyrule, and even some from another world, those who had arrived via a rift not all that dissimilar from those you see in the sky being used in the War of the Gods. This tribe of people used a dark, though not necessarily evil, magic and became known as the Dark Tribe by some people in Hyrule, Dark Interlopers by others. I believe you would later come to know them as the Twili."

Link's eyes went wide with shock as he heard the name of Midna's people. Demise merely grinned. "I take it you know of these people, then," he said nonchalantly.

Link reflexively nodded.

"Not the murderous cutthroats and pillagers that they were portrayed as, were they?"

The Hylian hero could not help but shake his head.

"The Dark Interlopers did lose their king to the greed that had taken hold of many in Hyrule during the Era of Chaos and a second dark tribe was formed from the King of the Dark Interlopers and his followers. That tribe _did_ attempt to invade the Sacred Realm using their magical power, but the original Dark Tribe, which consisted of members of the Sheikah race, Gerudos, and even some newly arrived Humans, managed to stop them. Those that survived were cast out and they deposed their king, banishing him from their tribe. However, there's more to the story. The magical practitioners of the former king's Dark Tribe had managed to create an item called the Fused Shadow, which they had initially used in their attempt to gain access to the Sacred Realm. Upon capturing the item, the Dark Interlopers attempted to purify it, succeeding in driving many outright evil influences from it, thus allowing a member of the Dark Tribe to wield it without any detrimental side-effects, but they could not limit its power. As such, they taught their people to beware the lure of power and to steel their minds and hearts, lest they fall, just as their former king had. Still, though, they knew that the tool would be too useful for them in times of emergency and they did not destroy it. And it was good that they did not, for soon, its power would become necessary.

"Humans had a special magic all their own, though it was not called magic by them and was different from any type of magic you may have known, it being a power completely inherent to them hereditarily, and one of the Human Dark Tribe members discovered that a band of Elvanheim, also known as Dragon Lords or Magic Lords had found Hylia and was assembling a group of other Elvanheim in order to launch an assault and attempt to pillage it. They warned the people of Hyrule, but their cries fell onto deaf ears. Eventually, using the Fused Shadow for the first time, their own magicians were able to use their magical sight to find these invaders and they presented the evidence of the coming Dragon Lords. The many in Hyrule, who had lived in eras of peace until their king had tried to conquer the Sacred Realm, rejected the warning and paid no heed to it. Using the Fused Shadow, they gleaned that the power of the invaders would at least be a match for the gods of Hylia since Hylia had turned herself into a mortal, but that the Triforce could turn the tide, or actually stop them from arriving at all, ending the threat before it arrived. They tried to convince the people of Hyrule, as well as the gods, themselves, of the danger but they would not listen. As a last, desperate, measure, they attempted to storm the Sacred Realm, itself, in order to gain hold of the Triforce and to wish away the threat posed by the Dragon Lords, realizing that if no one else would act, it would be left to them. With righteous fury, they made their way to the Temple of Time and were on the verge of managing to gain entry to the Sacred Realm and obtain the Triforce when they were eventually stopped by the goddesses, albeit reluctantly in Din's case, who sent the Light Spirits to intercept them and drive them out of Hyrule, and into the desert. One Light Spirit, though, Ordona, refused the order and even went to side with the Dark Interlopers and try to help them, using its power to sense that the Dark Interlopers were right and that the threat was, indeed, very real. Still, the goddesses did not listen, but rather than order the destruction of the Dark Interlopers, they merely banished them to the Twilight Realm, where they would be reduced to mere shadows, unable to live in the Light World. And now, you see the results of the folly of the gods and the people of Hyrule." He directed Link to look up into the sky. "One hundred gods exist in this world's pantheon, and already, fifty have died at the hands of the Dragon Lord invaders, their dragons, and their champions. All of this could have been avoided had the people of Hyrule and their gods heeded the warnings of the Dark Interlopers, or merely looked out at the stars and try to determine any threats to the world."

"And what does this have to do with us?" Link demanded, taking Demise's story with only a grain of salt.

"I was a creation of the Dragon Lords," Demise answered. "The demons that rose from the ground were part of an experiment to create new creatures, new expendable servant soldiers. The Dark Interlopers strongly suspected this, and their suspicions were later confirmed when they used their magic, and the gods did nothing. They fixated on the threat posed by the King of the Interlopers and not on the very real threat that was coming from space. They punished the innocent along with the guilty and now, all are suffering the consequences for their foolishness, as are the rest of the surface people. The Mogmas and Ancient Robots of Lanayru Desert are virtually gone, the only survivors having fled through the various rifts and portals that have appeared all throughout the world. The Gorons and the Sea Zoras, who evolved from the Parellas, are endangered species, and the land of Hyrule has been devastated. So much for the wisdom of the old gods, their Light Spirits, and the Sages. The Sages are doing their best to salvage the situation, unsuccessfully, and the Light Spirits are hoping that their Light powers will allow them to assist the gods in their struggle against the Magic Lords, since it is believed that the Magic Lords are vulnerable to Light-based magic and powers. The race of someone you deeply care for is trapped in another realm because of the shortsightedness of the people of Hyrule and the so-called gods they worship! They had a chance to avoid this and they blew it. Why are you so eager to fight me? Why fight for these fools? Let them reap what they sow. They deserve whatever they get!"

"Because it is the right thing to do," Link answered sternly, glowering at Demise. "Not everyone knew what was happening with the Twili. In fact, I would guess that very few knew the situation, assuming what you're saying is true. Besides, it has nothing to do with the people who currently inhabit Hyrule in our time. These events happened centuries, if not more than a thousand years ago, our time. The modern people of Hyrule have nothing to do with this."

"You are a stupid fool," Demise sneered, but Link could tell what the demon was trying to do. He was trying to delay him while he attempted to heal himself. In addition, he was trying to weaken the Hylian resolve to fight. He failed.

"The cycle ends here, Demise," Link declared, holding out the Master Sword and his Hylian Shield.

"Not yet," Demise answered, looking up into the sky. He then charged towards Link, hurling himself at the Hero of Twilight. Link reflexively raised his shield to intercept the demon's attack, but just before he was about to strike, he swerved to the side and darted past the hero and down the path, into Hyrule Castle Town.

Link pursued Demise as he ran past him, Link holding his sword high in the sky. The sword instantly charged with energy and Link then brought it down, unleashing an energy wave towards Demise. Demise drew his sword and raised it into the sky with his left hand. He then slashed at Link's energy wave and sent out one of his own, the two waves of energy dissipating on contact. Demise then turned and fled through the town's central square, which was much smaller and looked like a set of ruins, rather than the bustling town Link remembered from his own time. Looking back at Hyrule Castle for an instant, he saw it in the distance but it looked to be in a state of extreme disrepair and the walls appeared to be crumbling. It was worse than when Ganondorf had taken over the castle during the Twilight Invasion.

Demise continued to flee down a narrow corridor that led to the gate out of the town. As he approached the gate, though, he stopped and looked up into the sky. He then turned back to face Link and backed up a few steps, prompting Link to come to a halt. He held his shield forward and inched closer to the Demon King, not knowing what tricks Demise had left to play. As he inched forward, he noticed a shadow appear on the ground. Looking up, he saw the falling form of what looked to be a Hylian. For the first second, the body had been set on fire, but after a second, it had been extinguished. The figure was young and male, approximately in his early twenties, dressed in ornate golden armor. As he approached, Link's Triforce of Courage began to pulsate in his hand in warning. Link grimaced. The figure was likely a Dragon Lord. The Hylian-like figure was soon clearly visible and Link noticed that his trajectory was going to take him into Hyrule Castle Town. Link backed off a few feet as the figure's shadow grew larger, signaling the incoming Magic Lord. The sprawling figure at first appeared to be in an uncontrolled fall, but he quickly recovered, curling himself into a ball and rolling a bit before straightening himself out and landing on two feet. His landing, though, caused the ground to crack and shake, causing Link to stumble forward.

The figure looked around and scowled mockingly when he saw no one to fight at first. His gaze swept across Demise, who bowed in his presence, saying, "Master, what is thy bidding?"

The Dragon Lord ignored the Demon King and swept his gaze across the rest of Castle Town's central square. His gaze eventually swept across Link and he scowled mockingly. "Not again," he stated in utter contempt. "I thought I already taught you a lesson."

The figure drew a sword in his left hand and raised a round shield. The sword was a shining gold broadsword with an ornate hilt and crossguard. Symbols that Link did not recognize were etched onto the blade, itself, though many of them were stained with hues of red, green, and white. The reds, greens, blues, and whites, though, seemed to be liquid in nature and caused Link to surmise that they were bloodstains from the battle that the figure had participated in. The shield was no less ornate, being made of what looked to be gold but was obviously of a stronger material. It, too, had symbols etched onto its face, and just as with the sword, it also had hues of red, green, blue, white, along with some brown and black as well, making him suspect that the shield had shed blood as well.

Link looked past the Elvanheim to see Demise retreating away from the upcoming battle. Link readied his own sword and shield, his Triforce of Courage still pulsating in his hand. The pulsating Triforce piece caught the attention of the Magic Lord, whose eyes went wide at the sight. "The power of the gods of Hylia," he said almost in wonder. "A piece of it is outside the Sacred Realm and is mine for the taking. With this, we shall finally prevail over the gods of this worthless rock and return with it to our people, victorious."

He promptly raised his sword and vanished from Link's sight, causing the hero to reflexively raise his shield. It was fortunate that he did, for the Magic Lord instantly reappeared in front of him, bringing his sword down on Link's Hylian Shield. The force of the impact would have been enough to shatter the arm of a lesser man, but Link's superior strength and endurance allowed him to absorb the blow without suffering injury. Link retaliated with a swing of his sword, which the Magic Lord caught on his own blade, causing sparks to fly upon the clashing of their swords. The Magic Lord then performed a kick that sent the hero flying through the air. Before Link had landed, the Magic Lord had reappeared where he would land and was readying his sword. Link replied by dropping his shield and drawing out a Deku Nut. He then closed his eyes and tossed it on the ground, hoping that it would catch the Magic Lord off guard. Surprisingly, the flash of light did stun the Magic Lord and gave Link an opportunity to attack. He slashed with the Master Sword and scored a direct hit on his enemy, the sword biting into the armor and flesh of his enemy. Blue blood leaked from the wounds, but they were very shallow, far more so than Link had hoped for.

He then went to attack again, but the Magic Lord had recovered from the Deku Nut's blinding flash and launched an attack of his own. "Now I'll finish you once and for all, little boy," he snarled.

Gripping his sword with both hands, he swung at Link with all his might. Link could sense the amount of energy in his swing and knew that if he took the hit, it would behead him at the very least. Without his Hylian Shield, which he knew would be shattered if he had used it to absorb the blow, he gripped both hands with his Master Sword and swung as hard as he could in retaliation, hoping that the Master Sword would be able to inflict damage to the enemy's blade. The two swords collided and a massive clang rang out over the town and the landscape as the two swords collided with each other. Link's hand shook and he almost lost hold of the Master Sword. Still, he gripped it as hard as he could and pushed against the Magic Lord, who seemed to be having trouble against the Hylian's strength. Eventually, Link managed to push him back and he prepared to perform a jump attack in order to inflict some real damage to the Magic Lord. He jumped into the air and was about to bring the sword down onto the Magic Lord's helmet when he held up his armored left arm. The left arm had a gauntlet that had multiple blades sticking out of it that were angled so that they could catch an enemy's blade and break it. His blade struck the gauntlet, breaking one of the blades, but got caught by the rest, which magically moved in order to catch his blade. The Magic Lord then twisted in an attempt to wrest control of the sword away from Link. Link pulled back on the sword, not willing to give up the blade, though, and eventually, he was able to pull the sword away without it breaking. However, that was when the Magic Lord raised his own sword and went to bring it down upon Link's head. Link instinctively raised his sword to block, but he met the enemy's sword with the edge of his own. The two blades collided and each one chipped the other. Cracks formed around the edge close to the tip of the Master Sword and then pieces of metal broke off the blade, as did pieces of metal from the Elvanheim's blade.

Link heard a psychic scream as the damaged sword flashed and soon, a being was thrown from the cracks of the blade, landing a few feet away from Link. The being resembled a spirit of some kind. It had a feminine figure with a blue head and face with a blue and purple cloak over the rest of its body, either covering its arms entirely, or basically functioned _as_ its arms, with the right side of the cloak being purple and the left side being blue. In addition, there was a blue jewel in the center of the being's chest, just as there had been with Ghirahim. In fact, Link suspected that the new being was, indeed, the sword spirit of the Master Sword. The cloak covered the being's entire torso and arms, leaving only its, or rather _her_ legs exposed. Her legs were black with turquoise markings causing them to resemble those of a Twili. Link promptly went over to her so he could offer her one of his healing potions but the Magic Lord appeared directly before him, holding his sword high. Link noticed that his sword, too, was cracked, but the Magic Lord was unconcerned. "Now you die!" he cried. "And after you, then that sword spirit!"

Before he could bring his sword down onto Link, though, a Light Arrow came out of nowhere and struck the Magic Lord squarely in the chest. The arrow exploded into a flash of light, which congealed into several balls of light which spun around and flew back into the Magic Lord, engulfing him in a flood of light. The Magic Lord gave one last cry of pain before the light annihilated him, leaving nothing behind, not even his armor. Link turned to find a Hylian figure standing with a bow held in his right hand. The figure greatly resembled him, from his clothing right down to his hair and eye color. He only looked to be a little younger than the Hero of Twilight, at most by a year or two. Link was about to thank him when he saw a bolt of lightning come from above, burning a hole in the warrior's chest and strike him down with a single hit. Looking up, Link saw another Magic Lord riding a black dragon, both beings grinning at the sight, with the dragon giving a rumble of laughter. They then went to target Link when streams of flame and magical bolts of energy collided with them from high above, annihilating both of them. Link then saw the forms of Din, Farore, and Nayru hovering above the castle town. They gave a nod before returning to the war raging in the heavens.

Link, not willing to abandon the warrior who saved his life, rushed over to him and went to administer his one remaining Red Potion to him, hoping to be able to save him before he succumbed to his wounds. When he arrived he uncorked the bottle and went to put it to the warrior's lips. However, as he did so, he noticed that the hero was already be dead, his eyes open in death, trying to hide the pain from the final attack that had felled him. He was about to rise when he noticed a light emanating from the hero. He opened the pockets of the hero's tunic and saw a cracked bottle leaking a golden light. As he went to get the bottle, the bottle fell apart and golden light began to float into the air, looking as if it was about to dissipate. He then had a feeling come over him that told him to bottle as much of the light as possible before it dissipated. Wasting no time, he drew out his bottle that contained one serving of Lon Lon Milk and drank it, restoring his own strength in the process so that it would not go to waste. Once that was finished, he went over to the light and scooped as much of it into the bottle as possible before it dissipated. After doing so, he corked the bottle so the light would not escape. As the light near the hero's body dissipated, Link noticed the body of the hero begin to disappear as well. The body gradually grew fainter as sparkles of energy rose from it. After a few more seconds, the body vanished, leaving only the green tunic and hood, with the white leggings and brown boots behind. Once the warrior's body had vanished in its entirety, he focused on the light that he had bottled and stared at it for a second before putting the bottle back into his pocket. As he did so, he looked forward and saw Demise standing there. "It appears as if we both have issues that must be dealt with," the demon stated. "Your sword is broken and I am still injured."

Link was not too concerned as he raised his damaged Master Sword, despite the fact that the glow that had emanated from the sword had died. "And you have the sword spirit of the Master Sword to attend to as well," Demise added, motioning towards the being lying on the ground behind him. He then looked up into the sky as he saw a few more dragons appear in the sky below the gods' lines, having broken through and beginning their assault on the land. He then looked at Link more sternly. "The time to end our conflict will have to wait. Go and see to your needs. The Magic Lords are coming and when they arrive, you will not survive. I will be waiting for you at the Sealed Grounds, by the Sealed Temple. Come there so we may finish what was started so long ago." With that, Demise vanished from sight.

As Demise vanished from Link's sight, the hero made ready to pursue him. However, as he was about to do so, he saw a line of soldiers heading his way. While they looked to be Hylian, the pulsating nature of his Triforce of Courage told him that they were, instead, soldiers that had either sided with the Dragon Lords, or had been brought by the Dragon Lords to this land. Seeing that he had few options, he sheathed his damaged sword and went over to he fallen sword spirit. He knelt down and checked on the spirit's condition. He put his fingers to the spirit's throat and found that the spirit's body was tangible, something that surprised him, though he quickly realized that it should not have been so surprising since Ghirahim was the spirit of Demise's sword. Still, he suspected that this sword spirit becoming tangible was a last ditch defense mechanism to prevent its death when the sword broke, and that the body would not last for long. Wasting no time, he picked up the spirit and made his way back to the Temple of Time, hoping to reach it before the Elvanheim assault reached the town, or they were found by the enemy and outright targeted for destruction. As he picked up the sword spirit, he noticed the spirit begin to stir and he heard the spirit speak in a feminine voice, whispering, "Master?"

"Keep calm and save your strength," Link directed as he took her to the Temple of Time, placing the spirit over his shoulder in order to free one of his arms for fighting if he needed to fight his way to the temple.

As he approached the temple, though, he found that he was likely too late, for there were several Lizalfos standing around the temple. He was surprised to find the monsters near the temple, but then thought back to what Demise had said. They likely fought for the Magic Lords since Demise was a creation of theirs. Link drew his broken Master Sword which, while it was damaged and likely had no magical properties anymore, would likely still be able to function as a normal sword and was likely sharper and more powerful than his Ordon Sword.

As he came to the path that led up to the temple, he saw several Lizalfos standing close to the empty pools. Seeing this as a perfect chance to stun them and possibly get rid of a few of them, he took out a couple of Deku Nuts and tossed them at the humanoid lizards. The nuts landed close to the lizards and emitted a bright flash of light and a loud crack as they hit the ground and detonated. The blinded Lizalfos staggered backwards, with some falling into the pools, with others merely stumbling about. Link went up to those closest to him and swung his sword at the stricken lizard-like beings. One slash was enough to slay them, demonstrating that while the Master Sword may have lost its magical properties, along with a part of its edge near the tip of the blade, the rest of the blade was still useful for fighting. Making his way past the Lizalfos, he made his way into the Temple of Time.

Inside the temple, he found several more Lizalfos, and even a few Moblins scanning the temple. He grimaced at the sight when he noticed the sword spirit stir. "Set me down in the corner, Master," she told him weakly. "You'll need to be free in order to fight them all."

"What about you?"

"My life does not matter right now," the sword spirit answered. "All that matters is keeping them from the Triforce."

"They can't get the Triforce," Link replied. "They would need to pull the Master Sword."

"These enemies might have the power to do so. The sword and I were unable to repel their power and now, I am dying as a result," the spirit answered.

"You're not dead yet," Link told her sternly. "Wait here and hold on while I clear out the temple."

He then set her down and went to work dealing with monsters that had invaded the temple. Not wanting to waste time using his sword to take down the monsters, Link unslung his bow and got out his regular bombs. Tying some of the bombs to some arrows, he lit one and then took aim at a Moblin, one that resembled Ghirahim's Moblins, with an iron shield, and pulled back on the string. He then let fly with the Bomb Arrow, which sailed towards his target. The Bomb Arrow struck the ground right before the Moblin and detonated. The explosion engulfed the Moblin with its concussion and flame and sent the pig-like monster flying from the epicenter of the explosion, his body covered with burns and other injuries relating to the explosion. The Moblin landed several feet away and vanished in another explosion of orange light and what appeared to be woodchips.

Link then lit another Bomb Arrow, targeted a second Moblin with the arrow, and fired. The result was the same as with the first Moblin. One explosion later, another Moblin was dead. The other two Moblins then turned to face their attacker and came right at him, raising their shields and their spears so that they were pointing outward. Link promptly got out a Bombchu and placed it on the ground as the pig-like monsters charged him. The Bombchus scurried towards them, with the Moblins doing nothing to try to avoid them, and detonated when one of the monsters stepped on it. The explosion instantly killed the two Moblins and sent their bodies flying through the air. Once the Moblins were dealt with, he promptly dealt with the Lizalfos, calmly taking aim with his bow and felling the Lizalfos with single arrows. The battle lasted less than a minute and at the end, only Link remained standing.

After the battle, Link went back to the sword spirit and picked her up again. The spirit was in awe of how easily Link had dispatched the Moblins and Lizalfos. As he neared her, she told him, "Despite the fact that I can sense that you are different from the one of your line that used the sword to defeat Demise, I can tell that you are at least as great a hero as he was, and that your skill is second to none." She then paused and asked, "Is it because you contain a portion of the power of the gods?"

"I don't know," Link answered as he picked her up. "I've never really thought of it. I do what I must to protect Hyrule and its people. Come on, let's get you somewhere safe so you can heal."

"I cannot heal the way you can, Link," the spirit answered.

"What do you mean?" the hero asked.

"I am the spirit of the Goddess Sword, the original form of the broken Master Sword you now hold. Until today, I never had a truly physical body to speak of, not like Ghirahim, Demise's sword. In fact, I do not know why I have one now. I should have been destroyed when the Master Sword was broken and the magic of the blade dispersed. Despite me getting a respite by gaining a body, I can feel that I will not live much longer."

"Miracles happen…what's your name?" Link asked, realizing that he did not know the spirit's name.

"Fi," the sword spirit answered.

"Well, miracles happen. I know. I saw one," Link told her. "I'll save you, somehow."

Just as he said those words, he saw a glow come from the temple's inner sanctum. Carrying Fi up the steps to the side of the altar and to the door of the sanctum, he looked in and found that the light was coming from a circle on the floor just beyond the Pedestal of Time. Link recognized it as a portal that was usually the quick, sometimes only, exit to a primary dungeon. He proceeded to carry Fi into the sanctum, causing the door to close behind him. As he ran, he turned back and saw a being that resembled a Magic Lord coming up from behind, charging towards the door as it was sliding shut. He quickly ran towards the portal on the floor as he heard a pounding sound at the door. Not waiting to see if the Dragon Lord would breach the door, he stepped onto the portal a wall of light surrounded him and Fi. The wall of light soon formed a crystal around the two of them and they were lifted off the ground and began to spin through the air. After a second, they vanished and the room was left empty. As soon as they had disappeared, the pounding at the door stopped, the Magic Lords sensing that their target, and the power that they were after, was no longer with them.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14:

Link and Fi reappeared in a chamber that had a dark wall with blue lights that flowed down the wall like water. To each side of him were hexagonal pillars arranged in a hexagon. Despite the apparent darkness of the walls and the chamber, as well as the lack of an apparent light source, he was clearly able to see all of its features. At the centers of each of the pillars, a shaft of light shined down from the ceiling, which he could not find due to it likely being so high up. He could also tell that the pillars that surrounded the pillar he was standing on were high off the ground, not being able to see the bottom when he looked down. He looked around and saw that the pillar he was standing on, himself, was also a hexagon and was situated directly in the middle of the hexagon of pillars that surrounded his own. On each corner of the pillar that he stood on were various symbols, many of which he had seen during his previous adventures. These symbols also had colors and appeared to look like large medallions. Looking down, he saw himself standing on a large symbol of the Triforce.

"Welcome, traveler," he heard a voice call from behind.

He turned around and saw a large, heavyset Hylian man that was nearly bald save for a tuft of gray hair in the back of his head and some sideburns standing before him on a gold symbol. He also had a noticeable gray mustache and was wearing an orange robe that covered his entire body save for his head. The robe's sleeves covered the entirety of the man's arms such that Link could not see his hands. Link did not recognize the man but he suspected that the man was a sage. His suspicion was quickly confirmed when the man said, "Do not be alarmed. I am a friend. My name is Rauru. I am the Sage of Light. And you are inside the Chamber of Sages, inside the Temple of Light. May I ask your name?"

"Link," came the hero's answer. "Where is this temple? The Magic Lords were on the verge of making it through the Door of Time."

"I know," Rauru answered. "Your disappearance prevented them from breaking through, but even if they had, it is doubtful that they would have made it into the Sacred Realm."

"They were able to break the Master Sword," Link answered in disbelief of Rauru's statement. "They may have been able to grip it as well, possibly even pull it from the pedestal."

Rauru gave a downcast look as he mulled over what Link had told him, scarcely believing what he had heard. Soon, it was Fi who spoke. "Link's… right… Rauru," she said in a strained voice. "The Enemy is far more powerful than we ever anticipated."

"How do you know of this?" Rauru asked.

"My name is Fi. I am the sword spirit of the Master Sword," Fi answered without any breaks or croaks, though it was clear that she was having difficulty doing so. "The Master Sword of the future," the sword spirit added with a grunt. This piqued Rauru's curiosity.

"How far in the future," Rauru asked looking closely at the sword spirit.

"I don't know since I've been sleeping in the Master Sword," Fi answered.

"Likely around a thousand years or so since I've never heard of the attack by these Magic Lords, or whatever they are called now, and given what's happening, I'm almost certain that if it was only a century or so, there would be records of this, or at least legends." Link answered. "I came back here pursuing the Demon King known as Demise, who had fled through a Gate of Time in my time."

Rauru looked back at Link in surprise. "Demise?" he queried.

Link nodded.

"I see," Rauru said introspectively, an even darker look crossing his face. "So things are even graver than we thought. Demise was dangerous enough when he was still alive. If he is alive now, then we would have to turn our attention to him, too."

The Sage went over to Link and Fi, and he examined them. "Take out the Master Sword," he directed the hero. "I need to inspect the blade. I need to know how much damage was done to it."

Link did as he was directed and he drew the Master Sword from its sheath and set it on the ground for Rauru to examine. The Sage knelt down and looked over the sword and even reached down hesitantly to touch it. He touched the blade and when he realized that he would be able to touch it without any harm coming to him, he gripped the sword and stood up, pulling it up close. As he did so, his eyes began to glow a deep gold as he magically examined the blade to see if there was any additional damage done to it, as well as if there were any impurities in the metal that had been used to craft the sword. He focused on the area where a piece of the blade had broken off from the rest.

"Do you have the piece of metal that broke off from the sword?" the sage asked, focusing his attention on the blade without looking up.

Link shook his head.

Rauru made no comment as he continued to examine the Master Sword. Once he was finished examining the broken area and the areas surrounding the broken piece of the blade, he checked the other parts of the blade. Eventually, he looked up and told Link, "I have some good news and some bad news. The bad news is that the sword is, indeed, broken and has lost almost all of its magical powers. The flames of Din, Farore, and Nayru inside the blade are nearly extinguished, but are not yet gone, which is part of the good news. The other part is that despite the damage, the sword can still be salvaged. We can reforge it using most of the metal from the blade in its reforging. However, we will need more samples of the flames of Din, Farore, and Nayru, as well as samples of the metal the blade us made from, before we can reforge the blade, if we choose to use those flames in the reforging."

"How long will reforging the sword take?" Link asked.

"It depends on whether or not we try to use the flames of the old gods in its reforging," Rauru answered. "Either way, you're looking at at least a week or so to reforge the blade, with three to nine days to infuse to blade with the power to repel evil. Now, with our magic, the forging time could be cut down significantly, but it would require all of the Sages to be present to accomplish. It can further be cut down by using the flames of the old gods in its reforging. Fortunately, the other Sages are present in this temple. Unfortunately, they are currently busy dealing with the threat posed by the Magic Lords."

"I would need the Master Sword to be able to repel all evil magic and even be able to repel the powers of the Triforce," Link stated. "That was its capacity when I used it in my last quest. And I'm certain that it was the reforged Master Sword that I used."

Rauru gazed at Link with a surprised expression on his face. "That will take some doing," he told him almost waveringly. "The Master Sword _was_ designed to be used against evil, but to be able to repel the powers of the Triforce, even a single piece of it, would be no small feat to say the least, and would stretch the powers of the Master Sword, even if it was in pristine condition like the blade in the Pedestal of Time right now."

"Will you need a piece of the Triforce for the process?" Link asked.

"Link, I'm not even sure that what you are asking for is possible," Rauru answered, his tone indicating that he, himself, did not believe that what Link was asking was possible. "The power of the Master Sword came from the flames of the three golden goddesses as well as the blessing of Her Grace, Hylia. It used to be a weaker blade known as the Goddess Sword, made by Her Grace, Hylia. Now the flames of the old gods can be retrieved, but Hylia became mortal a long time ago. It was her blessing that gave the Master Sword the power to repel evil, possibly even the power to repel an individual piece of the Triforce with difficulty, assuming it was used to its full potential. With Hylia now being a mortal, reincarnated through the Zelda line of the Royal Family of Hyrule, the power of Her Grace has faded. Even taking the sword to Princess Zelda and having her bless it would not be sufficient to restore its previous power, much less have it be able to repel the power of the Triforce."

Link then fished into his pocket and removed the bottle filled with the light he had managed to retrieve from the fallen hero at the gates of the castle town. "Will this help?" Link asked.

"What is it?" Rauru asked, gazing curiously at the light.

"It is Light from behind a spirit spring outside of Hyrule," Fi answered weakly. "I recognize it from my memory when Hylia attempted to craft the Goddess Sword with that Light but was unable to do so due to its power. Its full name is said to be Heaven's Light, said to be placed here on this world by servants of The One Above All, himself."

Rauru's eyes flashed. "Where did you get this?" he asked in wonder.

"A hero had it and was bringing it into the Castle Town," Link answered. "He died when the Magic Lords attacked him. He saved my life before he died, though, killing one of the Magic Lords in the process. Could this Light be infused into the sword to give it the power to repel evil?"

"It would be exceedingly difficult to do so, especially if a goddess failed at it," Rauru answered. "Still, it could simply be like the Triforce, a power that can be more easily wielded by mortals than immortals like the gods. In fact, that could be its very purpose," he mused to himself. "To give mortals a chance against any evil gods, or should the gods, themselves, turn evil and attack the people of Hyrule."

"If we need more of this Light, where could we find it?"

"I don't know," Rauru answered. "The Light was said to be located in a place outside of Hyrule. It was rumored that the Light was protected by the one Light Spirit that refused to exile the Dark Interlopers after they failed to get a hold of the Triforce. Some even say that the Interlopers attempted to get to the Light once their attempt to retrieve the Triforce failed. Some members of the Dark Interloper tribe were Humans, the term for rounded ear humans, as opposed to Hylians like us. The others that did not join the tribe went to found a village in a province beyond Hyrule's borders."

"Is the village called Ordon Village?" Link asked.

"No one here knows," Rauru answered. "We lost contact with the people who left Hyrule and few Humans ever returned or remained inside the country. I would also think it doubly unlikely that any are still here given the situation outside."

"I come from Ordon Village," Link volunteered. "There is a Light Spirit there called Ordona, whom the province is named after, as is the village. However, Ordona has never told me of a source of light like Heaven's Light. The Hyrule Royal Family _does_, however, have access to a weapon called Light Arrows. Could they be made of Heaven's Light?"

"Unlikely," Rauru answered, shaking his head. "The Light Arrows were created by the Light Spirits. They have been used before and while they can be used to destroy the undead and inflict greater than normal damage against the forces of evil, they do not have the absolute no limits nature of a weapon made with Heaven's Light, something we learned all too well in the current war against the Magic Lords."

Link had suspected as much, given the fact that the Light Arrows had failed to inflict any actual damage to Ganondorf. "Is there enough Light here to infuse the Master Sword with and grant it its evil-destroying power?"

"We had hoped to infuse the original Master Sword, or rather, the Master Sword of this time, with the Light but with Elvanheim already storming the Temple of Time, that is no longer a viable option. We cannot allow them to gain entry into the Sacred Realm."

"But what if they can already pull the sword and break into the Sacred Realm?" Link asked.

"It is unlikely that they could do that since the Master Sword of this time is still imbedded in the pedestal, is capable of repelling evil, and is still at full power," Rauru answered. "With the Sages of Earth and Wind praying to the gods, it should still have the power to repel the evil of the Magic Lords should they try to pull it. But even if they can, it will take them a long time to get to the Temple of Light. I have already cast a spell on the entry door, sealing it to the Magic Lords. Even if they can pull the sword, they would only arrive in the Sacred Realm, itself, not inside the temple, or even necessarily at the Triforce's location."

Rauru's answer did little to put Link at ease since he had seen the Magic Lords fighting the gods. He was concerned that if they managed to enter the Sacred Realm, they would quickly be able to find the Triforce. Still, he knew that that would be Rauru's issue, for the time being, and instead, he focused back on the sword. "So, can you reforge the Master Sword and give it the power to repel evil as well as the Triforce?" the hero asked.

"We can," Rauru answered. "We'll have to use the Sacred Flames of the old gods to temper the blade and make it practically unbreakable, though. Once we get the flames, the forging process should take about a week or so, your time. Time will be pass differently for us in the forge. I'll take the blade to the others and have them get to work on it as soon as possible."

Link looked down at Fi, who looked to be fading in and out of consciousness. He also noticed that her body was beginning to flicker. "What about Fi?" he asked.

Rauru glanced down at the sword spirit and answered, "The new Master Sword won't likely have room for Fi. The process that Hylia used to create Fi and infuse her into the blade is unknown to us. However, Fi has shown herself to be able to take on a physical form."

"Can you heal her?"

"Most certainly," Rauru answered.

He went over to the dying sword spirit and raised his right hand. A golden ball of light appeared in the palm of his hand and he knelt down beside the spirit. Fi struggled to look up at him as he neared her. "Relax sword spirit of the Master Sword," Rauru told her in a soothing, gentle voice. "You will not die this day." He then touched the golden ball of energy onto the sword spirit's chest and Fi's eyes suddenly flashed and her mouth went wide, indicating that she was shocked. However, she issued no cry and her face did not contort as if in pain. Instead, she looked to be greatly relieved as the golden ball of energy spread throughout her body. It did not take long for the golden light to spread and soon, it had engulfed her entire body. She rose into the air and hovered in place for a few seconds as the glow continued to emanate from her body as it penetrated her form. After a few seconds, the glow died and Fi was lowered back to the ground. She gently touched down onto the ground and remained standing.

Her first reaction was to look around and to dance. Her cloak fluttered in the air as she whirled around, revealing arms that had the same skin tone as her legs. She jumped and bounded all across the pillar, testing out the abilities her new physical form. Eventually, she came to rest near Rauru. She examined herself and touched her own arms, legs, and torso to get a feel for her physical body now that it was fully functional. When she was finished, she thanked Rauru, saying, "Thank you for saving me Rauru, Sage of Light. I do not know how to repay you."

"No payment is needed," Rauru answered. "You are an innocent and are not deserving of death. I had the ability to save you and, thus, it was my duty to do so, a duty I embrace with all my heart."

Fi then turned to Link and said, "And thank you, for taking me to the Temple of Time and not abandoning me."

Link nodded and gave her a respectful bow, smiling at the spirit. Rauru then turned to Link and told him, "We should hurry and get to work on repairing the Master Sword. In order to do so, though, we will need of the Sacred Flames of Din, Farore, and Nayru for it to regain its full power."

"Do you know where the Sacred Flames are?" Link asked.

Rauru nodded. "After the initial creation of the Master Sword when Demise broke his seal, we made certain to find and record the locations of the three Sacred Flames. Farore's Flame is located in the Ancient Cistern in Faron Woods, in Faron Province. Nayru's Flame is located in Hyrule Castle in Lanayru Province, since it was removed from the Sandship since pirates had managed to take over the ship. And Din's Flame is located in Fire Sanctuary in Eldin Province. We have enough of the original type of metal used in the Master Sword's forging to use to reforge the blade, so we should be able to fully restore the blade, itself. The good news is that since the Flames have been used before, the guardians over them are no longer active, at least the ones that we know of." Rauru then took Link aside and told him quietly, "This quest will be more difficult than you know, not because of any enemies you may face, but because you cannot afford to interact with anyone save those outside of time, or those who came back with you."

"But I've already interacted with someone," Link contested. "I was saved by the Link of this time and he was killed because of me."

"I have yet to sense any change or branching in the timeline, so you should be okay in that regard," Rauru assured him. "Be thankful for that miracle, though. It would not be wise to tempt fate a second time. You must do this with the utmost of discretion. You cannot afford to be discovered."

"I'll be careful," Link told him. "Will there be anything else?"

"I have one more thing for you that will make your mission a little easier."

"What is it?"

Rauru then handed him a flute. "This is a Warp Whistle. If you simply blow into it, it will allow you to warp to various locations. I have set up portals near your destinations. You will need to provide three empty bottles for gathering the flames, though. I'll need it back once you're finished with it."

Link nodded.

"Remember, you cannot interact with anyone during your mission. The portals should take you pretty close to the Sacred Flames, so you should be able to avoid being seen."

"I understand."

"Good luck," Rauru wished.

Once Rauru had wished him luck, Link took out the Warp Whistle and blew into it. He quickly saw three areas open up to him. All he had to do was choose one. One was of a chamber in the Ancient Cistern, one was of a chamber in the Fire Sanctuary, and a third was inside of Hyrule Castle. He decided that the best place for him to start would be in the Ancient Cistern, so he chose that as his destination. Once he had chosen his destination, the Chamber of Sages vanished from his sight.

The scene was quickly replaced with another chamber. This one had tan walls with red lines on them. The area looked as if it were in ruins, as if it had been through the middle of a war. He began to understand why Rauru had set up portals in the Light World in order to take him close to his destination. Looking down the corridor, he saw that it was impassable. The Flame had been completely cut off from the outside world. He did not focus too much on the state of the Cistern, though, and simply followed the corridor towards his destination.

He cautiously made his way down the corridor, doing his best to be as silent as possible. He did not dare risk drawing his weapon or shield, for he knew that if he encountered more enemies, that he would risk altering the timeline, something he wanted to avoid doing at almost any cost. During his adventures, he had learned from Shad that there were rumors that the timeline that he was in had been created by his ancestor, the Hero of Time, returning to his past after having defeated Ganondorf seven years in an alternate future that had been avoided because of his return and his warning to the Princess Zelda of that time of Ganondorf's treachery.

He quickly came to a fork in the corridor. He peered down the two new corridors to see if there was anyone patrolling them. There was no, so he felt that it was safe to continue. He first continued forward, but the way ahead was full of debris. Continuing a few steps more, he saw that the ceiling had collapsed and that the area was impassable. He then went back to the fork and took the next corridor. This proved to be the right choice, for not only did it take him on a path that was not only open, but also led to a highly ornate door. The door was unlocked and Link took full advantage of it, entering the room carefully.

As he entered the room, he found himself in a completely unoccupied room with a golden torch in the center. The torch was massive, far larger than a single person could hold. Emanating from the torch was a green flame. He figured that this had to be the Farore's Flame. He immediately took out a bottle filled with a Red Potion and drank it. While he did not need the health restoring aspects of the potion, he would need the bottle to be empty. Once that was finished, he went towards the flame and readied his bottle. He then swiped the bottle through the flame and quickly corked it so that none of the flame could escape. Despite the flame being strong enough to be used in the forging of the Master Sword, the flame did not burn Link at all as he swiped the bottle through it. Once he corked the bottle, he examined the magical green flame still burning inside the bottle. The bottle was not hot to hold despite the flame's incredible power, since it could be used to forge the Master Sword. With that done, Link put his bottle away and pulled out his Warp Whistle.

After he blew into it, three destinations entered his mind: a chamber in what he knew as Death Mountain, a chamber inside of what looked to be the ruins of Hyrule Castle, and the Chamber of Sages. He chose the Death Mountain chamber since it was relatively close to Hyrule Castle Town, or what was left of it, and he had a feeling that that flame would be the easier of the two to retrieve without being detected. Choosing Death Mountain, the scene of Farore's Flame inside of the Ancient Cistern vanished.

He instantly found himself in a corridor with brick walls. The temperature had shot up to incredible heights and Link suddenly realized that he may have made a mistake coming to Death Mountain without some form of protection. He quickly checked his two remaining Red Potions and saw that they were still good. This was fortunate since he would likely need them to survive the trip through the sanctuary. He quickly and quietly made his way down the corridor, hoping that Rauru's portal deposited him close to Din's Flame. The Fire Sanctuary did not seem to suffer the damage of the Ancient Cistern, for the corridor looked pristine. He quickly came to a dead end with a metal door to his right. He quickly made his way through the door and found himself standing on a ledge overlooking a large chamber surrounded by lava. On a platform in the center of the pool of lava. There were several other ledges jutting out of the lava.

Link looked around the ledge and eventually found a large ledge that was jutting out from the lava that rose up into the air like an elevator. The hero took advantage of this and went over to the ledge, jumping onto it. He let it take him down to the central chamber. Once it was low enough, Link jumped off of the ledge and onto the platform that housed the large torch that burned with Din's Flame. Taking out his second Red Potion, Link drank it and then swiped the now empty bottle through the flames. As with Farore's Flame, Din's Flame did not burn Link as he swiped his bottle through it. Once he corked the bottle, he put it away, drew out his Warp Whistle, and blew into the whistle once more.

This time, the destinations presented to Link were the previous Ancient Cistern, Hyrule Castle, and the Temple of Light. Wasting no time, Link selected Hyrule Castle. He hoped that the portal would open close to Nayru's Flame so he could simply head back to the Temple of Time and have the Master Sword reforged as quickly as possible. Soon, Link vanished from the Fire Sanctuary, no one being any wiser of his presence there.

He promptly reappeared just outside of Hyrule Castle in the open. Once the scene unfolded for the hero, he quickly noticed that he was standing out in the open. He quickly made certain to take cover behind a small hill to make sure that no one spotted him. Once he did so, he checked his surroundings to see if anyone was in the castle grounds. Sure enough, there were Hyrulean soldiers standing guard outside of the castle. They were armed with spears and wore chainmail shirts and shorts. He quickly realized that getting this flame would be a bit more difficult. Each of the soldiers was pacing back and forth as if on patrol. Link waited for the soldiers' backs to be turned before he rushed up the hill and towards a moat. Once he arrived at the moat, he quickly jumped into the water, doing his best to not make much noise. He made only a small splash, but it was enough for one of the guards to take a look back to see if anyone was in the water. Fortunately, neither of the guards guarding the steps towards the entrance to Hyrule Castle moved away from their positions to investigate the sound. Given the constant stormy sounds issued forth from the gods battling the Magic Lords in the sky, they likely figured that it was either an animal of some sort getting stuck in the moat, or simply a part of the cacophony in the sky.

Link issued a prayer of thanks for his good fortune and quickly made his way around the moat until he came to a small area with some crates. He pulled himself out of the water and examined the scene. He saw a small hole in the wall that would grant him entry to the castle and he went to work pushing the crates into the water so he could stack them and allow himself to gain access to the hole. Once he had done so, he jumped onto the crates and then to the hole, crawling on through.

When Link entered the castle, he found that he was in a maze of hedges and plants. It was likely a garden. Wasting no time, he hid behind a wall outcropping as he heard the sound of footsteps coming. Sure enough, a soldier came along on patrol. The soldier stopped at seemingly predetermined points and would look around before moving on. Link was quick to take advantage of this and went to follow the guard to the next part of the maze. Once the guard went about his pattern, Link made his way past the guard, the guard being none the wiser. He then hid behind another set of plants, this group set in a square-like pattern, and peered through them as he saw two guards patrolling the area. He waited for both to be moving away from him before he followed them. Once they were walking away from him, he followed them until he came to another section of the garden. This section had a maze of plants and flowers arranged in what looked to be a haphazard pattern. Link grimaced at the sight, for there were three guards patrolling this area. He carefully made his way through, being careful to not attract their attention as he passed. Eventually, he made his way through and turned left to a large opening that led to a large room with a golden floor.

Stepping into the room, he found what he was looking for right in front of him, a large torch with a blue flame emanating from it, Nayru's Flame. He took out his sole remaining Red Potion and drank it. Once the bottle was empty he swiped it through the flame, quickly corking it once he had filled the bottle with the flame. With that, he took out the Warp Whistle and blew into it, choosing to warp himself back to the Chamber of Sages.

Link reappeared inside the Chamber of Sages, standing on the center Triforce symbol. Rauru was there and he gave a calm sigh as the hero arrived.

"I take it you were successful?" the Sage asked.

Link presented him with the three Sacred Flames, smiling.

"Excellent," Rauru told him calmly, though his smile showed Link all he needed to know. "Now we can get to work repairing the Master Sword."

"How long should the process take?" Link asked.

"The full process should take a week or so to complete, so you should take some time to relax and prepare for your battle with Demise, as well as whatever else you plan on doing," Rauru answered. "I will, however, need you to hand me the bottle that contains the Light that the other hero was bringing to this place."

Link then handed him the bottles containing the Sacred Flames, the bottle that contained the Heaven's Light, and the Warp Whistle. Once he received the bottles, he told Link, "There is a living chamber in the north wing of the temple. Use the Forest Symbol on the ground surrounding the Triforce Symbol to take yourself to the exit that leads to the north wing."

Link nodded and thanked Rauru for his assistance. He then looked for the Forest Symbol, finding the green symbol quickly. Before going to the symbol, he watched Rauru and Fi step on a red symbol that he believed was the Fire Symbol. The two stepped on the symbol and turned, facing Link. They then stood still for a few seconds. A pillar of light then surrounded them and whisked them off the pillar, and likely to wherever the other sages were so they could repair the Master Sword. The Hylian hero then made his way over to the Forest Symbol and stood on it. He waited for a couple of seconds and soon found himself surrounded by a blue wall of light that extended all the way up to the ceiling. Just as he had with all of the warps he had encountered, he found himself floating up into the air and was soon surrounded by a crystal of energy, this one green. He then spun in the air and was immediately warped to another location inside the Chamber of Sages.

When his vision returned, he saw himself being lowered to a step on the north side of the chamber. He could see the pillars off in the distance and he turned to see a large door facing him. There was no lock on the door, though it clearly looked like it could have functioned as a door to a boss chamber. Wasting no time, Link scanned the door for a way to open it. He soon found an indent that would fit anyone's hand. Placing his hand on the indent, he lightly pushed the door inwards and the door did the rest, sliding back less than an inch and then rising, granting the hero access to the north wing of the temple. Once the door was open, he went on through.

The floor of the tower was lined with green carpet, in keeping with the verdant, green forest theme of the wing. There were murals on the walls describing times of long ago, when the goddess Hylia was on the surface with the other tribes. There were mentions of other races that Link did not recognize, such as the Mogmas, Parella, and Ancient Robots of Lanayru Desert. It also told of the invasion by Demise's forces and their attempt to acquire the Triforce, an attempt that was thwarted when Hylia sealed Demise.

Link continued to walk down the corridor until he came to a tower that was covered with vines. He entered the tower and climbed the stairwell until he reached the top. Along the walls were more murals and paintings, along with some statues. When he reached the top, he found a room with a single bed, a dresser, and a table. There was also a window that allowed him to look outside the temple. He entered the room and went over to the window to look out over the landscape. Instead of the sky being blue, as it was in Hyrule, a golden sheen shined throughout the sky. He searched for any signs of a sun or even a moon but could find none. The golden light shined throughout the land and cast a gold aura on everything in the land. Still, Link could make out a variety of structures and trails. It was clear that there was plant life as he could see grass and flowers growing around the temple. While he did not see any animals or hear any birds chirping, he suspected that there were animals in the realm as well. He then looked into the sky and saw the Triforce hovering in the sky. It looked relatively small, but that was likely due to the fact that it was floating above the Temple of Light. As he looked up at the Triforce, he heard a soft ringing coming from his hand. Looking down at his hand, he saw the Triforce of Courage glowing. He figured that it was due to the proximity of the rest of Triforce in the sky and the fact that it contained the other two pieces of the relic. He then retreated from the window and went over to the bed. He took off the sack he was wearing and set it down beside the bed. Figuring that he would not have a lot to do for the rest of the week, he decided to rest a bit and continue training during the lull in the adventure.

As he had expected, the week it took for the Master Sword to be repaired and reforged was free of any real incident. Link found out fairly quickly that he was free to come and go from all wings of the temple as he pleased. He explored each wing and even watched as the Sages of Fire and Water worked on the Master Sword. Fi also assisted them, giving them the ins and outs of the sword. As he was exploring, he noticed that there were few other people inside the temple. While there were some servants, all of who were eager to talk with him and tell him what was going on, the number of people in the temple could be counted on two hands. One person that did catch his attention, though, was a young girl who wandered the temple, rarely all that far away from him. She was beautiful by any definition of the word, and yet it was a beauty that could not be put into words. She looked to be Human, for she had rounded ears. She also had brown hair that fell to her just below her shoulders and blue eyes. He guessed the girl's age to be around ten. She wore a white sleeveless gown that covered her from her neck all the way down to her ankles. She seemed to be minding her own business but there seemed to be something strange about her, for she was never all that far away from Link and he always seemed to spot her wandering about when he was nearby. The one time he was able to look into her eyes, though, she gave him a kind smile, but he could tell that she was far more than a mere human. In addition, he could tell that her smile hid a deadly seriousness about her as well, and that her smile was there to comfort him, rather than simply being that of an innocent girl. He wondered if she was a goddess or spirit of some sort. He did not dwell on it, though, for he could tell that she was no Magic Lord or demon.

The rest of the week passed without incident. During the week, Link trained in the sword and also with his bow and arrow, bombs, and even with Deku Nuts. Rauru had set up a training area where he could fight recreations of enemies and bosses from his memories from his past adventures. Using these battles, he honed his skills and perfected some of the moves he had been taught by the Hero's Shade. He even came up with some moves of his own such as a power thrust and twist. During his training, he noticed the girl watching him train, almost as if she were gauging his talents and abilities in battle. When she smiled, it was not simply a friendly smile, but one of satisfaction and approval as well. When the week was over, the newly repaired Master Sword was finally completed.

Link had been lying on the bed in his chamber when a servant of the sages came in. The servant was a Hylian male that looked to be about thirteen years old. When he entered the room, Link immediately sat up. When he did, the servant told him, "Sir, Rauru wishes you to know that the Master Sword has been fully repaired. He is awaiting your presence in the Chamber of Sages."

Link got off the bed and replied, "Thank you. Tell him I'll be right there."

"Understood, sir," the servant answered, bowing. He then turned and exited the room, leaving Link to gather his belongings. Link went over to his sack and checked everything inside, making sure that all of his items were safely stored inside of it. Once that was done, he slung it over his shoulder and left the chamber.

His trip to the Chamber of Sages was short and he did not stop to admire the scenery. Instead, his only focus was on getting the Master Sword back as quickly as possible so he could hunt down Demise. As he went down to the chamber, he made note to ask Rauru what the Sealed Temple was, since Demise had mentioned it before he had fled from the hero. On the way to the chamber, he came across the Human girl once more, walking towards him. She came to a stop not too far down the stairs, looking at the walls. Link did so as well and noticed that the murals were moving on their own, as if they were playing out the events of the past.

"These are not the events of the past," he heard a girl's voice state plainly. Despite the fact that the voice had come from a ten year old, he noted that the way the voice did not sound young in its expression.

It took Link a moment to realize that the one who had spoken was, indeed, the same girl that he had seen wandering around the temple. He focused his gaze on her and asked, "How do you know this? What are these events depicting?"

"What is going on in your time," came the girl's answer.

Link looked at the mural to his left and saw Ganondorf standing close to the Temple of Time, Zelda sealed into a pink crystal. Ganondorf was grinning evilly with a look of shock etched onto Zelda's face as she was trapped inside the pink crystal. To his right, he saw a mural depicting the Twilight Realm. It was a realm covered in perpetual twilight. He saw a band of Magic Lords invading the realm, riding on the backs of massive dragons, some the size of small castles. Joining them were several other warriors that looked to be members of servant races that strongly resembled Hylians in appearance. He watched as he saw a young woman with turquoise skin and markings of turquoise light on her body, along with some black markings on her skin, and orange hair that fell to the middle of her back. She was clothed in what looked to be a black top and dress with turquoise markings of light. Link recognized her as Midna. Two orbs that Link recognized as being Sols were sitting next to her. The Dragon Lords rushed towards her, the leader and his dragon ready to crash down upon Midna, a look of sadistic glee on his face. Midna did not back down, though, and steeled herself against the attack. Using the power of the Sols, the Twilight Queen fired a blast of light from her hands and annihilated the lead Dragon Lord and his dragon. The others soon retreated a bit but that did not stop them from attacking again, taking care to stay out of the line of fire of the Midna and her Sol-powered Light blast. Still, the other Twili warriors in the realm were not about to let Midna fight the Magic Lords alone and they came to her defense, assisting her in the fighting, covering her as she fired more blasts of light at the invaders. He recoiled at the sight and went to rush down the stairs so he could reach the Chamber of Sages and get the Master Sword so he could face down Demise as quickly as possible and then take down Ganondorf and freeing Zelda, and hopefully be able to enter the Twilight Realm and help Midna and the Twili against the Magic Lords once the present threats were dealt with. Still, he could not start thinking too far ahead. He still had to deal with Demise and Ganondorf first.

As he went to make his way to the chamber, the girl turned to him and looked him in the eyes, causing him to recoil, for in her eyes, he saw portals that led to a person that was no mere human. "When you face down Demise and Ganondorf, be careful," she cautioned. "You are of great importance in the events that are to follow. You will soon be faced with a choice and the decision you make will have ramifications both for yourself and for others." She then looked over at the mural depicting the Twilight Realm. "Impressive," she commented, drawing Link's attention closer to the battle in the Twilight Realm.

"What do you mean?" Link asked.

"I mean that the Twili are fighting against the Elvanheim and are not getting slaughtered, despite the fact that they are only mortals, some of them from a non-magical race like humanity. Despite all of this, they are still holding their own against the Elvanheim in what has become an all out war. Of course, the primary reason they're able to hold their own is because of the Sols."

"Why is that?" Link asked.

"Because the Sols contain Heaven's Light," the girl answered. "Their Light can cast away the darkness and break curses. Their Light is also anathema to evil beings like the Elvanheim. That is why the Light Arrow was so effective against the Elvanheim you fought in the Castle Town. However, you must hurry if you wish to save the Twilight, and be careful. The decisions you make not too long from now will have ramifications in the future, both for yourself and for the world."

The girl then stood aside and Link walked past her, staring at her as he went by. Despite the fact that the girl had answered one of his questions, she still had not told him how she knew of what the murals depicted. To him, it was clear that the girl was not a Sage. But he also got the impression that she was no god, either. He paid no more heed to his musings about her and proceeded to enter the Chamber of Sages.

After taking the warp, he appeared in the middle of the chamber. On each symbol was an ethereal glowing white humanoid figure that resembled an old man, save for the golden symbol that Link took to be the Light symbol, which Rauru was standing on. He reached into his robe and produced the newly repaired Master Sword. He presented the sword to Link and told him, "We have managed to repair the Master Sword, but the infusion of Light was difficult. We do not know how long the Light will remain within the sword. Even so, though, we were able to infuse the power of the flames of the goddesses into the sword as well so it should still be at full power for the purposes of this mission. Despite that, though, we were unable to restore the Skyward Strike ability. It should still be sufficient to destroy Demise, though."

Link nodded, indicating that he understood the sage. He accepted the sword and examined the blade. True to his statement, the sword was, indeed fully repaired and in perfect condition. He then sheathed the sword and thanked the sages. "Hurry, Link," Rauru told him. "The gods can likely defeat the invaders but will have difficulty if they have to face down both the invaders as well as Demise."

Link nodded and he stood in the center of the Triforce symbol in the chamber. A pillar of light surrounded him and he was lifted into the air. A crystal formed over him and soon, he was whisked away from the chamber and back to the Temple of Time's inner sanctum.

When he reappeared inside the Temple of Time's inner sanctum, he drew the Master Sword and his Hylian Shield, hoping that he would be ready for any enemy that he would face when he went into the main chamber of the temple. He stepped up to the Door of Time and waited for it to slide open. The symbol soon glowed and the door slid open, granting him access to the main chamber.

When he entered the main chamber, what he saw shocked him, as well as scared him a bit, for there were two Magic Lords that stood before the altar that lay before the Door of Time. The Magic Lords, however, were not moving at all. Looking past the two Elvanheim, he spied the girl that he had seen in the Temple of Light standing between them. "Follow me, Link," the girl told him, smiling. "You'll need help if you want to get to the Temple of Time in the Sacred Grove and face Demise."

"What do you mean?" Link asked, perplexed at what the girl was talking about.

"The Sealed Temple is what the Temple of Time of the Sacred Grove was called before it the Temple of Time was built over its remains," the girl explained. "The Temple of Time that you are in now is merely the Temple of Time that was a part of the old Lanayru Desert that has since been reclaimed and is arable once more. But that's not important right now. What's important is that you get there in one piece so you can beat Demise, along with Ganondorf for when you return to your own time."

The girl then turned and began to walk out of the temple. As she was doing so, Link ran up to her and asked, "What about the Magic Lords? We can't just leave them here."

The girl then glanced over to the two Magic Lords, along with their servants, and snapped her fingers. The Magic Lords and their servants vanished from the scene and the temple was deserted once more. Link's eyes widened in shock at the girl's power. "What did you do with them?" he almost gasped.

"I sent them back into space to face off against the guardians of Hyrule," she answered. What she did not tell him was that she warped them directly between a magical battle between a group of Magic Lords and the golden goddesses of Hyrule, resulting in the annihilation of the Magic Lords, and giving the goddesses an opening to attack their enemies and deal with them, turning the tide of the battle in the process. "Come on," the girl insisted. "We don't have a lot of time."

Link was about to ask the girl if she could just warp him to the Sealed Grounds, but her display with the Magic Lords indicated that it would be wiser to not ask too much from her. Despite the fact that she did not appear to be evil in the slightest, she had demonstrated power that was at least on a par with the gods of Hyrule, and possibly greater than any individual god he had encountered.

Link did not ask any questions, though, and simply followed her out of the temple. They emerged from the temple and followed the path into Hyrule Castle Town. As they exited the temple, Link looked into the sky and saw the skies still roiling with energy as Hyrule's gods, or what was left of them, battled the remaining Magic Lords and their dragons. The landscape echoed with the sounds of thunder as they gods did battle. Some of the claps of thunder were so loud and powerful that they caused the ground to shake. Link stumbled forward a bit, his pace slowing, as he followed the girl. He soon noticed that he was falling behind her. "You have to keep up with me," the girl called back to him. "I'm only allowed to extend my barrier ten meters in each direction. You cannot afford to waste time looking up at the sky. The guardians of Hyrule can deal with the threat above the planet. You must deal with the threat on world."

Link nodded and ran up to the girl, making sure to keep up with her as he followed her. They soon made their way out of the town and entered Hyrule Field. Upon making their way through the gate, they emerged into a burned out field with little signs of life save for the warring soldiers of Hyrule facing off against an army of Moblins, Lizalfos, and Bokoblins of all types. There were also Stalfos fighting for the enemy. The soldiers of Hyrule, consisting of Hylians, Gorons, and Zoras, were fighting evenly with their opponents. As Link ran by the scene, a desire to help the soldiers welled up inside of him but he resisted, for he knew his mission. Demise had to be stopped, for he was almost certainly going to help the Magic Lords in their struggle against the gods of Hyrule. As such, Link ran past the scene and followed the girl across Hyrule Field.

It took at least a day for Link to cross Hyrule Field, but he almost felt as if it should have taken longer. As he crossed the field, he noticed that none of the enemy soldiers noticed him or the girl. He suspected that the girl was cloaking their presence and he did not dare wander too far away from her. He also did not ask her why she did not just warp him to the Temple of Time and to Demise. He suspected that he would either receive an answer fairly quickly, or that she wanted him to see what was happening. Link looked around at the scenery and asked, "Could all of this been prevented?"

"Some of it could have," the girl responded. "However, regardless of whether or not the Twili would have gotten the Triforce, there still would have been a battle between the guardians of Hyrule and the Elvanheim. That said, though, the damage could have been greatly reduced or even negated if the Triforce was used properly."

"So why don't the Sages just use the Triforce to undo the damage? Could the Triforce undo the damage done to the world?"

"Yes," the girl answered. "As for why the Sages do not use it to undo the damage, there is the fact that they are the guardians of the Triforce, rather than the ones who are supposed to use it. The truth is that the thought has never crossed their minds. Also, there is the age old saying, 'power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely'. That is why they will not use the Triforce. They do not want to be tempted with absolute power. Should one or more of the Sages turn evil, it would be to the sorrow of all."

The girl's answer made sense but it he still wondered why the Sages did not do more. From the story he had heard about Ganondorf from the Sages, he had suspected that the Sages did not know where the Triforce was located, though it was clear that that was not the case in this time period.

When they had finally crossed Hyrule Field, Link followed the girl into Faron Woods. There, he continued to follow her all the way through the woods to the Lost Woods. When they came to the chasm that separated Faron Woods from the Lost Woods, the girl simply levitated Link over the chasm and deposited him to the entrance to the Lost Woods. Once in the Lost Woods, he continued to follow the girl through the woods. There, he found some children, or child-like beings doing their best to hide from the fighting that was taking place in Hyrule Field. However, a group of Stalfos and a couple of Moblins had something to say about that and were forcing some of the children to fight them. Link wanted to help them but the girl stopped him, saying, "You cannot assist them, no matter how much you want to. You have been sent back in time. As a result, the timeline is capable of being changed, and such changes would not be predictable for mortals like you. Even the guardians of this world would have difficulty accurately predicting the changes. That is why you must not interfere with anyone else. The Temple of Light exists in the Sacred Realm, which is in another universe. That is why you can talk to Rauru and the Sages in the Temple of Light and not affect the timeline, or accidentally create an alternate timeline."

"I see," Link replied. He did not fully understand what the girl was saying, but he got the gist of it. He had to avoid interacting with the people of this timeline and make sure that he did not create an alternate timeline that could change things.

Eventually, he came to the Sacred Grove and the entrance to the Temple of Time was within sight. Before going over to it, he turned to the girl and told her, "Thank you for bringing me here, safely."

"No thanks needed," the girl answered. "It was my job to do so. You have a unique destiny, Link, and you will be tested before all is said and done. But do not worry. Your burdens will not be an ounce too heavy for you to bear."

Link nodded.

"This is where I must now leave you physically," the girl told him. "You must be the one to fight Demise. But don't worry. I will be watching over you."

"Thank you," Link said again as the girl vanished from his sight. When he stopped to think about what she had just said, he began to wonder if he should have been a little unnerved, for while she was not a god, she was still exceedingly powerful, possibly more so than the gods of Hyrule, especially since she consistently referred to them as guardians rather than gods, goddesses, or even deities.

Not thinking too much more about his benefactor he went over to the Temple of Time's entrance, focusing on the task at hand. As he went over to the entrance, there was a flash of light and he soon saw the figure of Demise standing before him, the demon brandishing his sword. Link could see that the wound in Demise's right shoulder had healed. "So, you have finally come to face me, descendant of the Hero Chosen by the Goddess," he proclaimed. "I can see that your Master Sword is fully repaired," he added, focusing on Link's sword. Link made no reply. Demise then walked down the steps to the Temple and came to him, holding out his sword. "And here is where you will fall, great hero. And you can take solace in knowing that after you die, I shall take the Gate of Time back to your time and enslave the people of your time and destroy Hyrule and all it stands for."

"No," Link answered as he raised his sword and held out his shield.

"There is no hope for you," Demise told him haughtily. "You cannot defeat me." Demise then raised his sword and held it out in front of him.

Link readied his shield and sword and mirrored Demise's motion. The two then walked towards each other. Demise then charged towards Link and slashed at him, the hero raising his shield to intercept the attack. When Demise's sword struck the shield, a loud clang rang out all throughout the Lost Woods. The battle between the Hero of Twilight and Demise had begun.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15:

Demise backed off from Link and prepared to launch another attack on the hero. He waited to see if Link would initiate the attack against him and when he saw that the hero was waiting for him to make a move, instead, he obliged the hero by charging towards the Hylian. When he was merely a couple feet away, he took a mighty swing at Link, which the hero dodged by diving to his left. He then rolled along the ground, getting behind the demon, and rose, swinging his sword in a circular arc. His Back Slice inflicted multiple cuts to the demon's back, causing him to grunt in pain with each strike. Demise staggered forward from the hit but quickly recovered and turned around to take a swipe at Link, who was already charging him to press his attack.

The Hylian hero dodged Demise's attack and slashed away at the demon's body, inflicting significant damage with each strike. Each slash broke through the demon's scaly skin and drew blood, causing Demise to grunt some more. While each slice merely caused a cut to the demon's skin, numerous attacks would cause the damage to mount and lower the demon's defenses, and the internal damage inflicted by the Evil's Bane power of the sword was far worse. After the first few slices, though, Demise caught the rest of Link's slashes on his sword and avoided suffering further damage. Still, things were not going well for the demon, for he could feel that every hit that Link had scored on him inflicted far more damage than they had with his predecessor. He backed away from the hero and studied the sword as it began to glow in the faint light that was breaching the forest canopy. There was something different about the Master Sword this time. It was different from the blade he had faced earlier, different even than the sword that the hero had been wielding merely a week ago. He also noticed that Link was far more confident in his ability to defeat the demon this time. His entire speech had fallen on completely deaf ears, or if not that, had been completely ignored by the hero. He scowled as he began another charge towards Link.

The demon quickly arrived at the hero and went to bring his sword down on the Hylian. Just as before, Link jumped to his left, avoiding the first strike. Demise had anticipated that Link would roll next, though, and turned his body so that he would be able to face the hero when he rolled to perform the Back Slice. Link, seeing him turn his body to face him, did not roll as Demise had expected. He simply charged forward and thrust his sword at Demise's heart. The attack took the demon by surprise and he was barely able to parry the blow. While he managed to deflect the thrust away from his heart, the sword still managed to stab him in the left shoulder, piercing Demise's flesh and going straight through. The demon roared in pain and recoiled from the strike. However, unlike when Ganondorf had stabbed him, when Demise landed, a dark aura surrounded him and the wound closed. However, something told Link that while the wound on the demon king's shoulder had closed, that he it had not healed completely.

Link then went on the offensive, charging towards Demise, performing numerous slashes on his chest. Demise raised his sword and managed to block each of Link's attacks, but Link's objective was not to score any damage with those strikes. Demise then thrust his sword at Link's chest, but the hero raised his Hylian Shield and managed to block the stab, thrusting his shield forward to parry the attack and cause the demon king to back off a bit. Link then backed away a few steps and held out his sword, almost as if he was daring the demon to attack. Demise took the bait and charged towards Link. Link gripped the Master Sword tightly as the demon came charging towards him. When Demise was only a few feet away, Link jumped forward, flipping over Demise's head. As he flipped over Demise's head, he brought his sword down on the demon's head, the sword biting into the demon king's head and drawing blood with the strike. He landed behind the staggered demon, who was slowing down after sustaining significant damage from the strike, and he charged towards the demon, thrusting his sword into the demon king's back. Demise gave a loud cry of shock and pain as the sword pierced his flesh and emerged from the front of his chest, missing his heart by millimeters. Link withdrew the blade and let Demise fall forward. The demon dropped his sword and fell to his knees, using his hands to steady himself. He turned and looked back at Link. How was this possible? How could he be losing like this to a teenager this badly, even if he _was_ a Chosen Hero.

Demise turned around and picked up his sword. He knew that he would have to try a new tactic for dealing with Link, for facing him in a fair fight like this was getting him nowhere. He held his sword high in the air and waited for it to glow with a blue energy. As soon as he held it to the sky, a bolt of lightning came crashing down onto the sword. The bolt struck the sword and electrified it. He then slashed the sword downward and sent a wave of electricity Link's way. Link readied himself and then batted the stream of electricity back at Demise. Demise was caught off guard by Link's returning his lightning wave and was too slow to strike the lightning wave with his own blade to send it back to Link. The lightning struck the demon and it caused him to stagger backwards, electricity arcing across his body, the demon stunned. Link took advantage of the opportunity and rushed the demon. When he was standing right next to the demon king he performed a Great Spin Attack, spinning around and releasing a red wave of energy that sliced open Demise's torso. While the wound was bloodless and closed quickly, the demon cried out in pain and Link could tell that despite the closing of the wound, the damage had not really been regenerated. Link then performed another series of stabs and slashes as the Master Sword took a few seconds to recharge before he could unleash another Great Spin Attack. Eventually, Demise was able to recover from the stabs and get away before the Master Sword had recharged and another Great Spin Attack could be performed. Still, the damage was mounting. He would not be able to survive another barrage of hits. And to make matters worse, he had inflicted no damage on Link whatsoever.

The demon king retreated from the hero, holding his sword high in the sky. After a second of holding the sword aloft, a bolt of lightning then struck the sword and he was ready to bring it down on to launch his variant of the Skyward Strike on the hero. Link steeled himself and waited for Demise to make his move. Indeed, Demise made a downward slash and sent the wave of lightning rocketing towards Link. Link waited for the wave to come and then he swung his sword, sending the wave of lightning back at Demise. Demise would not be caught off guard this time, though, and swung his sword once more to deflect the lightning back at Link. They continued to volley the lightning wave back and forth until Demise eventually mistimed his swing and the wave of lightning got through and struck him. Link then rushed the demon and performed another Great Spin Attack. The sword cut Demise's torso and nearly bisected him. The force of the attack sent Demise flying backwards, the demon landing on his back. Wasting no time, Link went in for the kill, jumping into the air and thrusting his sword down into Demise's skull, using the Ending Blow. Demise tried to roll away from Link's attack but the hero was too fast and he managed to land the blow. The demon king gave a cry as the sword pierced his skull and then, he went silent, his body going limp as he dropped his sword. As Link stabbed Demise, a golden light began to emanate from the wound in Demise's head, which rapidly expanded until it engulfed Demise's entire body. Link backfipped away from the demon as Demise exploded in a shower of light. He then gave a sigh of relief. The battle was over and Demise was gone. Making sure to tie up any loose ends, Link went over to Demise's sword and stabbed down on the sword with all his strength. The Master Sword went through Demise's sword as if it were made of cardboard and a yellow light shined forth from the point of impact. The light expanded until it engulfed the sword and the sword exploded in a shower of light. The battle was finally over and both Demise and Ghirahim were defeated. What was more, the demon was not able to cast any curses before his defeat, ensuring that the cycle could be broken. And even if he did, the evil destroying properties of the Master Sword protected Link from any evil curses placed on him.

Knowing what he had to do next, Link made his way over to the pedestal that he remembered drawing the Master Sword from six months ago, his time. When he arrived at the pedestal, he held up the sword and, lining it up with the slot in the pedestal, thrust it into said slot. The sword slid right into the slot and remained there, most of the blade still being exposed. As soon as he did so, though, a translucent stairwell to the temple appeared. Knowing that he would have to keep the sword in the pedestal so he would draw it in the future, he went up the stairs and proceeded to make his way to the entrance to the temple.

As soon as he stepped through the entrance, he proceeded to a chamber inside the temple that had a statue holding a sword downward at each corner of the room. He quickly noticed that the layout of this Temple of Time was eerily reminiscent of the Temple of Time in Hyrule. He soon saw a Triforce symbol in the center of the floor. He went up to it and stepped on it. When he did so, he noticed the symbol glow for a second and he looked back and saw that the exit led to a dilapidated grove that Link recognized as the Sacred Grove. Heading back towards the exit, he stepped outside and found himself back in the present, the Master Sword placed in the pedestal in the grove. He walked up to the Master Sword and when he did so, he could see that, unlike before, he was actually getting closer to the blade. He stepped up to the sword and gripped it with both hands. As he did so, the sword began to glow a bright yellow, indicating that the light that had been granted to it during its reforging, as well as possibly the light of the Sols, was flowing through it. He then pulled up on the sword and withdrew it from the pedestal. The sword came out just as easily as he remembered and he swiped it through the air a couple of times before sheathing it, the blade feeling just as it did before.

He was about to use his Horse Call when a dark feeling came over him and he felt something in his hand. He looked down at his sword hand and saw his Triforce mark glowing. He then turned around, looking back at the temple entrance to find none other than Ganondorf standing by the entrance, a pink crystal hovering above him. Staring at the crystal, he saw that there was a figure trapped inside. When he saw a Triforce mark glowing on the hand of the figure he surmised that the figure was Zelda. "So you destroyed Demise," the Gerudo King commented. "Despite being many years in the future of that event, I could not help but sense Demise's death. Did you beat him as easily as I did before he fled?"

Link glared at the Gerudo King and drew the Master Sword without uttering a word. "I'll take that as a yes," Ganondorf commented nonchalantly. "But now, you must face off against me. And as you already know, I'm a lot harder to defeat than that worthless so-called demon king."

He then charged forward towards Link, drawing his Sage's Sword and thrust it towards the hero. The attack caught Link of guard and he had to raise his shield to block the attack. The attack, however, managed to push Link back. The strength of the attack surprised Link and he began to wonder if Ganondorf had obtained the Triforce of Wisdom as well. He glanced over at Zelda, though, and saw that her Triforce of Wisdom was still glowing, indicating that the Gerudo King still only had his Triforce of Power. The Gerudo King's next swing, a reverse stroke aimed at taking off Link's head, caused the hero to raise his blade in an attempt to intercept the strike. He was able to block the strike but the force of the attack caused the Master Sword to fly from Link's grasp. It flew through the air and landed several meters away from the hero, clattering on the ground as it skidded along the ground and eventually came to a halt. Ganondorf then reached out and grabbed the throat of the shocked hero and pulled him in.

"You've gone soft," Ganondorf mocked as he laughed at how easily he had knocked the Master Sword from Link's hand. "These six months of peace have not been kind to you."

He then grabbed Link's hand and began chanting a spell. As he did so, Link noticed the glow of the Triforce of Courage become brighter and brighter. He could feel power emanating from his sword hand but it was not under his own control. He attempted to resist but the power Ganondorf was using against him was too strong. His hand began to hurt as the Gerudo King began to lift the Triforce of Courage from his hand. He watched in horror as the golden triangle rose from his hand, its true size being revealed when he saw that the triangle was almost as large as his head and torso. "And now, it begins," Ganondorf said with an ominous grin.

Next, Ganondorf held out his left hand towards the crystal containing Zelda. Her Triforce of Wisdom soon began to glow brighter until it, too, rose from her hand and left the crystal. The Triforce of Wisdom floated over to the Triforce of Courage and took its place to the left of the Triforce of Courage.

Soon, Ganondorf's own Triforce of Power rose from his hand and went over to join the other two Triforce pieces, resting on top of the two other triangles. When they touched, a loud chime sounded and each piece glowed a deep gold. The Triforce had been formed once again. Ganondorf could only laugh. "And now, for me to fulfill my wish!" he cried out as he tossed Link away from him and ran over to touch the Triforce.

Link was not about to let Ganondorf have his wish granted and he quickly rose and rushed towards Ganondorf. The Gerudo King saw him coming, though, and pointed his left hand backwards. Bolts of lightning erupted from his fingertips and struck Link, stunning the hero and causing him to fall to the ground. "No!" Link cried out, seemingly in despair, but there was something off in his voice that Ganondorf did not notice.

Ganondorf, however, continued to make his way to the Triforce and soon placed his hand on it and the golden triangle glowed a bright white. Seeing the triangle glow, Ganondorf made his wish. "Triforce, my wish is this: for the curse cast by Demise upon his sealing inside the Master Sword that bind me, Link, and Zelda into the endless cycle to be lifted so that I may conquer Hyrule without fear of a hero rising up when I cast one down, or a princess to rise to rally the people against me!"

The Triforce then glowed a bright white once more and a wave of golden energy expanded from the triangle and washed over all that were present in the Sacred Grove. As the wave washed over Ganondorf and Link, both felt a strange sensation come over them. They looked at their hands and noticed a dark mist rising from them, as if a curse was being burned off of them. Looking over at Zelda, they saw the same mist rising from her and disappearing. After a few seconds, the mist stopped rising from their bodies and they each felt a freedom that they had never known. The curse was broken. Ganondorf grinned and looked over at Link and told him, "It's over, hero. I win!"

He then went to touch the Triforce again, but as he did so, nothing happened. Ganondorf's expression transformed from one of complete confidence in his victory to one of confusion. What was happening? Why was the Triforce not glowing? He had been the first one to touch it this time. There had never been any legends that stated the Triforce could only grant one wish for the user. Why was it not reacting?

Link did not know why the Triforce did not react to Ganondorf the way it had the first time, and he did not care. He simply took advantage of Ganondorf's confusion to run to the Triforce and touch it so that Ganondorf could not have his second wish granted. He stretched out his hand and managed to touch the relic before Ganondorf realized what was going on. As Link touched the relic, it immediately began to glow once more. However, as soon as the glow started, the relic broke off into its three respective pieces, Power, Wisdom, and Courage. Power rocketed into the hand of Ganondorf and soon, a Triforce mark glowed in Ganondorf's right hand, while Wisdom flew into Zelda's hand, causing a Triforce mark to glow in the queen's hand. Meanwhile, the Triforce of Courage flew into Link's hand and he saw the mark on the back of his sword hand immediately begin to glow once more. He felt the power of the Triforce of Courage flow through him once more, though it was mainly a sense of courage and fearlessness that was beyond anything a normal human could experience, though it was tempered by wisdom and experience.

"No!" Ganondorf cried as the Triforce broke off and the various pieces flew into the hands of their own wielders. "Victory was in my grasp! How could this happen?" the Gerudo King demanded when he saw Link standing before him.

"You should have learned more of the legends," an unfamiliar voice said, prompting the two to turn. When they turned, they saw a young Hylian woman with long orange hair wearing a pink sleeveless leotard. Her build and the way she was walking towards them, almost as if she were about to break out into a dance, told them that she was a dancer. The two could easily tell that there was something strange about the woman, though, for the intensity of the glows of their Triforce marks increased dramatically when she appeared. "The Triforce only grants one wish at a time, especially if there are multiple people around. If you want to get a second wish, you would have to wait for a bit," she explained patronizingly.

Ganondorf scowled at the young woman, but she did not care at all when the Triforce of Power glowed in his hand. The Gerudo King was about to launch an attack on the woman when something clicked in his mind and he suddenly realized that the young woman was no one to be trifled with. "And how do you know this?" the Gerudo King demanded.

The woman gave no answer and simply went over to the forest off the main path and sat on a log that was jutting out from the forest. She then looked on and smiled. "You may continue with your battle," she said casually, as if she were blowing him off.

Ganondorf then turned towards Link to find him drawing his Master Sword once more, readying himself for battle. The Gerudo King laughed. "You really think you can beat me? After the pounding I just gave you?" He was incredulous at Link's seeming foolhardiness.

"And you actually think he was fighting you seriously just now?" the woman called out to the Gerudo King, prompting him to turn and glare at her. "All I'm saying is that he wanted the curse of Demise to be broken, too. Why make the wish himself when he can have his mortal enemy waste his wish undoing the curse that affected him, too? All you did was help out Link. There was no reason for him to win the battle."

Ganondorf was about to launch a magical blast at the woman in anger when he realized that she had a point. Link did, indeed, seem much easier to beat than he had in their previous fights. In fact, the woman's explanation made more sense than any other reason he could come up with. The woman was not finished yet, though. "This is it for both of you. This battle will determine who wins the kingdom of Hyrule." Turning to Ganondorf, she added, "After all, with the curse of Demise in effect, even if you wished to rule Hyrule and managed to kill Link, you would only have been able to rule for a limited time before another hero rose to challenge you. It happened in another timeline, and eventually, you fell." Turning to Link, she told him, "Just as an incarnation of Demise's hatred was faced before and beaten, only for his power to appear in another individual, the very one you're fighting right now." Then focusing on the two of them, she finished, saying, "Well, that's it for my lesson. You two better get going. The curse of Demise is broken and the fate of Hyrule hangs in the balance. Don't blow your chance to have your wishes fulfilled."

Ganondorf scowled but did not let the woman's annoying nature distract him from the task at hand. If anything, he began to wonder if he should be thanking her for telling him what he needed to do in order to get his next wish granted. While it would seemingly be redundant to wish to take over Hyrule after Link and Zelda were already dead since he would have no opposition, he felt that the power granted by the Triforce would be worth it.

He turned to face Link and a barrier then rose around the area where the two of them were situated, preventing Zelda or the woman from being able to interfere in the battle. "Now, our final battle will properly begin."

Link simply nodded and raised his shield and held out his sword, waiting for the Gerudo King to make the first move. Ganondorf strode towards him, drawing the Sage's Sword and holding it out in front of him. Link took a few steps backwards as the Gerudo King moved towards him. Soon, Ganondorf gripped the sword in both hands and ran towards Link at full speed, coaxing a confident grin out of Link. He had seen this attack before when he had fought Ganondorf at the end of the Twilight Invasion. Link quickly slung his shield over his back and gripped the Master Sword in both hands and waited for the opportune moment. The moment came when Ganondorf was only a few meters away. He then performed a jump attack and the two swords clashed, letting out a loud clang. Both fighters struggled against the strength of the other as they pressed their swords towards their opponent in an effort to push said enemy off balance and get in some good hits. At first the battle seemed to be even but that would not last long, for Link was gradually making ground on Ganondorf and pushing him back. With a final shove, he managed to push Ganondorf backwards, causing the Gerudo King to stagger. Link used this opening to unleash a Great Spin Attack on the Gerudo King, a red wave of energy cutting Ganondorf across his torso. Link then performed a series of stabs, one after the other, each stab managing to break through the Gerudo King's armor and inflict damage to the bearer of the Triforce of Power. The Triforce piece managed to limit the damage inflicted, but it could not negate it entirely. With each attack, Ganondorf issued a grunt and was forced backwards, being pushed dangerously close to the energy barrier that he had erected. Eventually, after one last series of slashes and stabs, Ganondorf managed to recover and jump away from Link.

The Gerudo King stared at the hero for a split second and now knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Link had held back against him in the earlier skirmish. Now, he was truly serious. Still, a number of questions went through the Gerudo King's mind, most important of them being why Link would have allowed him to get the Triforce in the first place since there was no way that he knew of that Link could have known that his wish would simply be to break the curse of Demise, or that the Triforce would be the way to do so. The hints and clues that he would have left would have implied that it would have been the death of Demise that would have destroyed the curse, not a wish on the Triforce.

He did not dwell on his questions for long and quickly focused back on the fight against Link. The boy was just as formidable now as he had been six months ago. He pushed that thought aside as he teleported away from the edge of his makeshift arena and reappeared behind Link. Link instinctively knew where he had reappeared and dove to the left, avoiding Ganondorf's subsequent slash and spin attack. He quickly rose and proceeded to jump around to Ganondorf's backside as he moved to reposition himself so he could have a better attack angle on Link. The Hero of Twilight was too fast for him, though, and was able to get behind the Gerudo King. He then performed a Back Slice and topped it off with a Great Spin Attack.

Ganondorf was slow to recover as he was beginning to feel damage that was being inflicted upon him by Link's strikes. He went to attack the hero again, only to have Link maneuver to his backside once more and perform another series of attacks. Ganondorf attempted to intercept the attacking hero but he was too slow and suffered another punishing series of slashes and stabs. The king grunted with each hit and after the final strike, he was sent hurtling through the air, landing several feet away.

Ganondorf was even slower to recover from this series of blows as he quickly realized that he was getting nowhere against Link. He had not managed to land a single blow on the hero while Link was consistently having his way with him. He soon realized that he had to come up with another strategy, for he was no match for Link in a swordfight.

The barrier that formed the makeshift arena soon disappeared and the Gerudo King rose into the air. His armor and cape were in tatters but he was not finished yet. As soon as the barrier had fallen, he rose into the air, out of reach of Link's sword. He knew that the hero had ranged weapons but without Light Arrows, there was little that Link could do to him unless he managed to bat back his own attacks, which was a problem since all of Ganondorf's ranged attacks were magic-based and could be reflected by the Master Sword. Still, the risk was worth it since he had few other options at the moment.

He held up his Sage's Sword and a ball of yellow energy formed on the tip of the blade. Electricity crackled about the ball of energy and with a single slash, it was sent flying down towards Link. Link had seen this attack before, when he had possessed Zelda in their battle at the end of the Twilight Invasion and he knew that his Master Sword could reflect the energy ball back at Ganondorf. He waited for the ball to arrive and with single downward slash, he sent the ball flying back at Ganondorf. Ganondorf was ready for Link's counterattack, though, and he slashed at the ball, sending it back down towards Link. Link promptly slashed at the ball when it got within range and sent it flying back to Ganondorf once more. The Gerudo King returned the ball to Link as well. This tennis match lasted several more volleys until the Gerudo King mistimed one of his slashes and the ball managed to strike him. The ball immediately burst and magical yellow electricity arced all across his body as he slumped over, groaning with the hit.

He quickly recovered, though, and floated a bit away from the hero. As soon as he was far enough away from Link, he closed his eyes and concentrated. Using his magic, he could see Link and sense where the hero was. He focused the power of the Triforce of Power and a golden triangle appeared on the ground beneath Link. Remembering this attack from their first battle, Link immediately ran as the glow got brighter and escaped the triangle before a shaft of light erupted from the triangle. Ganondorf grimaced as the shaft of light erupted too slowly and Link had managed to evade the attack. He considered using another attack where he would fly towards Link but decided against it since another slash from the Master Sword might have been enough to kill him.

Next, he decided to fire off another ball of magic lightning. He formed the ball on the edge of his sword and launched it towards Link once more. Just as before, Link made no attempt to evade the attack and, instead, waited for the ball to come. Once it arrived, he batted it back at Ganondorf with the Master Sword. Ganondorf returned the favor and the tennis match lasted ten more volleys this time before Ganondorf decided to float to the right and evade the attack. The Gerudo King grinned at the hero, knowing that he had Link. He could simply try to tire out Link with the magical balls and hope that some of them managed to get through.

He powered another ball of magical energy and prepared to fire it at Link, but the hero did something that he did not expect. Link charged towards him until he was standing right underneath the Gerudo King. The magical ball of energy traveled relatively fast so such a maneuver was exceedingly risky for Link, but if the hero managed to strike the ball with his sword and send it back to the Gerudo King, Ganondorf would have little to no time to respond. Still, he felt as if the reward was worth the risk and he launched the ball of energy at the hero. Link _was_ as fast as Ganondorf feared, though, and just after the ball of energy left the sword tip of Ganondorf's sword, Link slashed at the ball and reflected it back at the Gerudo King. Ganondorf had no time to react and the ball of energy scored a direct hit on him. He grunted as the magical lightning arced across his body. He recovered more slowly this time and slowly floated away from Link.

The Triforce of Power glowed in his hand as a golden triangle formed beneath Link's feet. As soon as the hero noticed the triangle, he fled from its interior and waited as a shaft of light shot forth from the magical triangle. Ganondorf grimaced as he saw Link escape the triangle, waiting for his next attack. He realized that he would likely not be able to defeat the hero this way. Still, he knew that he had to try. To that end, he formed another ball of magic on the tip of his sword. Just as before, Link rushed towards the Gerudo King in order to put as little distance between himself and the king as possible. As he was running, though, Ganondorf launched the ball at him. Still, he was able to react and he swatted the ball right back at the Gerudo King, who was taken off guard by the reflected attack. The ball of energy struck the Gerudo King and he gave a cry as the attack hit him and his arms and legs were sprawled out as magical electricity arced across his body. As the electricity was arcing across his body, he was slowly falling to the ground. Link took advantage of this opportunity and promptly rushed over to the Gerudo King and jumped into the air. He then brought his sword down onto Ganondorf and thrust it through his chest. Ganondorf gave a cry, which was quickly silenced as he coughed up a glob of blood as his heart was pierced.

Link withdrew the blade and prepared to sever the Gerudo King's head when Ganondorf moved and he thrust his arms out, using his magical might to push the hero away from him. He held his heart as he breathed heavily, grunting and almost gasping for breath as he showed Link the back of his hand, the Triforce of Power glowing in it. He then gave a growl and a loud cry as he spread out his arms and legs. Golden lights appeared on Ganondorf's muscles and through the cracks in his armor and the cuts on his skin. He also transformed in front of Link's eyes. He grew far larger and was holding two blades of energy in his hands. No longer did a human stand before Link. Ganondorf was now a massive bipedal pig-like beast with glowing green eyes, two large horns on the side of his head, and a large tail. As soon as the transformation was completed, the beast gave a loud roar, which sounded more like a squeal than a roar. A single word came to Link's mind as he saw the beast: the being's name, Ganon. He was a little surprised, for while he recognized the name, Ganon, the last Ganon he had faced was a quadrupedal pig-like beast. This one was bipedal and wielded two energy blades. He also suspected that Ganon had access to other powers and abilities.

Link immediately began the battle by backing away from Ganon in order to see what the new beast's fighting style would be. Ganon quickly answered Link's question by charging right at him. He slashed down at the hero, prompting Link to raise his shield to take the blow. The blow struck Link's shield and he managed to stand against the slash. He then thrust his blade into Ganon's chest and he heard a clang as the sword barely managed to bite into the flesh of the evil king, only the tip and less than half an inch of the blade going through Ganon's flesh. He quickly withdrew the blade and dodged to the right as Ganon performed another slash, barely missing the hero. Link then backed away, trying to come up with a plan since the Master Sword could not breach Ganon's hide.

He scanned Ganon's body and found that it was likely going to be heavily armored all around. His only real weakness would be his head, possibly his eyes. Link was about to try to come up with a plan to lure Ganon's head into striking distance when the beast suddenly began to charge towards him. As if on instinct, Link performed a Great Spin Attack and a red circle of energy was unleashed on the evil beast. The energy wave inflicted minimal damage to Ganon's flesh but the wave continued to travel as if in a circle and the beast roared in pain as it washed over his tail and inflicted damage to it. Link saw Ganon's reaction to the tail suffering damage from the attack and he suppressed a grin. He had him. Ganon may have been relatively fast in a straight line, but with his increase in size and strength likely came a decrease in agility. He soon went about testing his hypothesis.

He rushed towards Ganon in an effort to goad him into launching an attack. Ganon did not disappoint and he promptly charged the hero and slashed down with his blades. Link dove around him and rolled, quickly coming up to perform a Back Slice on his tail. Link scored several hits on the beast's tail and the beast recoiled and gave a roar of agony with the hits and staggered forward. He then kept his tail aloft so Link could not get any more hits on it for a while.

Ganon then turned around and rushed towards Link again, slashing at that hero. His first attack missed. He followed up his attack with a horizontal slice to the right, which Link was barely able to avoid. Again, the hero rolled around to Ganon's back so he could strike at the beast's tail. The tail had since been lowered so Link could attack it once more, which he did. By the time he had reached the tail, the Master Sword had charged up so Link was able to unleash another Great Spin Attack. Link performed the maneuver and Ganon roared in agony as his tail was hit once more. This time, he was slow to raise it out of Link's attack range, so the hero continued to slash at it until Ganon raised it out of range. By the time he had done so, Link had gotten in four extra slices in on the tail and it was beginning to look quite ragged. Still, Ganon was able to raise his tail so it would not be struck again, for a while.

He turned to face Link once more and unleashed a flurry of slashes at the hero. The attacks were executed quickly for a beast of his size, but Link was still more agile and as such, he was able to avoid all of Ganon's attacks. He looked past Ganon's body and saw the evil king attempting to keep his tail aloft so it could not be struck. He would have to continue to avoid Ganon's attacks until the tail was lowered, which was not difficult at all. He backed away, towards what would have been the entrance to the Temple of Time. He dodged several more swings until he noticed Ganon lower his tail once more, leaving him vulnerable to attack. He ran around to Ganon's rear and performed another Great Spin Attack. The red wave of energy washed over Ganon's tail and he gave a loud roar of pain as he staggered forward and fell to the ground. Link saw that this was his chance. He could end the fight once and for all.

Link rushed to Ganon's head and proceeded to slash at it with all his might. Each slash drew blood, causing Ganon to squeal in pain. Link finished off his flurry of attacks with a single stab between the eyes. The sword bit into Ganon's head and with the stab, the beast stopped moving and squealing.

Link withdrew the blade and Ganon suddenly rose and began to roar and wildly flail about with his energy blades. The beast then looked over to what would have been the temple's entrance and his Triforce of Power glowed. As soon as it began to glow, a portal appeared that resembled a Gate of Time. Ganon attempted to make his way to the gate, attempting to escape the hero, but he stumbled forwards and fell to the ground. Once he fell, he remained still, a dark mist rising from his body. Link then went over to the body of Ganon and placed his Triforce piece close to the Triforce of Power in Ganon's hand. While Link did not know how to use magic, the power of the Triforce of Courage was sufficient to draw the Triforce of Power out of Ganon's hand. The Triforce of Power glowed a deep yellow and its intensity brightened for a few seconds until the relic, itself, rose from Ganon's hand. As it rose, it soon revealed its size and Link drew it to him. After the Triforce of Power was drawn from Ganon, the beast's burst into an unnatural green flame. The flames consumed his body and piece by piece, parts of his flesh and his horns fell off his body. A few seconds later, the body of Ganondorf appeared, his eyes open.

Link cautiously approached the fallen Gerudo King, not knowing whether or not Ganondorf was truly dead, or was merely faking it. Ganondorf gave him his answer as he soon rose and fired a blast of purple magical energy at the hero. Link dodged the attack, which sailed towards the portal that had opened where the Gate of Time for this Temple of Time used to be and the energy blast entered into the portal. The portal quickly became a purple vortex and Link could feel the rush of wind on his face. He noticed detritus and leaves rushing past his face as he felt the pull of the portal. He turned back to Ganondorf and saw the Gerudo King glaring at him. "I won't be killed so easily, Link!"

He then held out his Sage's Sword and rushed Link. Link prepared steeled himself for Ganondorf's charge, and when Ganondorf brought the sword down on him. Link sidestepped Ganondorf and performed a horizontal slash, slicing Ganondorf in the side. The Gerudo King gave a cry and staggered forward towards the portal a few steps before turning around, dropping his sword and holding his right side. When he turned and faced Link once more, he saw the hero standing before him, ready to strike. He gritted his teeth as he knew that he only had one chance to take out the hero. He quickly realized that he was no match for Link with the Master Sword and he could already feel his life beginning to slip away. He could use his normal magic to heal himself of the wound, but he knew that the hero would not stop. He suddenly realized just why the woman had not intervened, despite the fact that he suspected that she was one of the goddesses. She must have known that Link would win the fight. He looked back at the portal, which was already beginning to close. Suddenly, that portal was looking much more friendly. He could hide in the Sacred Realm from Link and while Link would likely be able to find him, he could force Link to surrender the Master Sword in order to open the portal. And while the he did not have the Triforce of Power anymore, he was still a powerful magician. He would almost certainly be able to use his magic to heal himself. He could be a difficult opponent for Link to defeat. His next course of action was clear. Without any hesitation, he backed away from the hero and made a dash, which more strongly resembled a stagger, towards the portal. Once he was within arm's reach of the portal, he dove through, escaping into an unknown area of the Sacred Realm.

Link stared at the portal as it closed and rushed towards it. However, even he knew that it would be fruitless since the portal was closing too quickly. The purple vortex became smaller and smaller until it only became a speck in the breeze. After a second, the speck vanished entirely, leaving him alone.

When the portal closed, Link stabbed the Master Sword into the ground and rested for a moment. Looking over at Zelda, he saw the crystal descend from the air to the ground. As soon as it touched the ground, the crystal disappeared, releasing Zelda. Once she was free, she looked around and saw signs that a battle had occurred here, but no signs of Ganondorf. She did, however, see Link leaning on the Master Sword. She went over to him and as she approached, he looked up at her. He did not know whether or not to smile. He eventually told her, "I wounded him severely, but it managed to get away. I'm almost certain he escaped into the Sacred Realm."

Zelda looked downcast. "At least without the Triforce of Power, he'll be trapped in the Sacred Realm, rather than being able to pursue his quest to conquer Hyrule. That is if he survives."

"He's a powerful sorcerer," Link told her. "There's no way a cut to the side will be enough to defeat him. I have to go after him and finish this."

"Wait," Zelda called. "You have to be careful, Link. Even without the Triforce, Ganondorf is a powerful sorcerer, and he won't be able to escape the Sacred Realm without a piece of the Triforce, we should just let him be and hope that the wounds you gave him kill him."

"No," Link answered, shaking his head. "I won't take any chances this time. It has to end, once and for all."

Seeing that he could not be swayed, Zelda gave a shrug and nodded. "Be careful," she cautioned. "Just because he doesn't have the Triforce doesn't mean that he's not a powerful sorcerer in his own right. You should take the Triforce with you, just in case he's stronger than expected."

"No," Link answered. "If the unthinkable happens and Ganondorf beats me, I don't want him getting his hands on the complete Triforce. And besides, if I am somehow lost in the realm, the Triforce will be lost, too. Keep it here while I face Ganondorf. If I fall, he should be trapped as well. If nothing else, you can wish for his demise if that is the only option."

He then went over to the pedestal and gripped the Master Sword. He reversed his grip and pointed it downward. Once he did so, he then thrust the sword into the pedestal. Immediately upon doing so, a Gate of Time opened just where he one had before. He also noticed the Triforce glow as the gate opened, almost as if it were reading his mind. Before heading into the portal, he turned to Zelda and made one last request. "Zelda, if for some reason I don't make it back, please take Epona to Ilia in Ordon Village. She's the daughter of Mayor Bo. She has a special connection to Epona and I want Epona to be looked after."

"I'll make sure that she gets Epona if something happens to you," Zelda assured him.

Link then smiled at Zelda and said, "Thank you, my queen." With those last words, he withdrew the Master Sword and made his way to the Gate of Time. Turning back to Zelda, who raised her hand to wave at him and wish him luck, he smiled. He then turned back to the gate and went on through. As soon as he went through the portal, though, the gate immediately closed behind him, causing Zelda to gasp in shock. She then turned to the Triforce and noticed that its glow had faded. She then went over to the Triforce and touched it, causing it to be absorbed into her skin. Once that was done, it faded into her body and a Triforce mark appeared on her right hand with all three triangles filled in. She then teleported back to Hyrule Castle to repair it, as well as repair the damage done to the kingdom, and pray for Link's return.

Meanwhile, Link stepped through the Gate of Time and found himself in a strange area that looked to be in the sky. He was standing on a translucent walkway that looked to be made of stars. Looking up and out all around him, he saw stars everywhere. He could also see massive gas clouds of various shapes and sizes. One of them looked like the head of a snake, another resembled the head of a horse, with another resembling a dog. He then looked down and found what looked to be a planet. At first, he wondered if it was Hylia, but upon looking in the sky and not finding any light, he suspected that, instead, it was merely the Sacred Realm. Still, he was likely standing in space, though he did not know to be concerned since he did not know that there was no air in space. Looking behind him, he saw the Gate of Time opening shrink until it vanished entirely. Not thinking about the closing portal, he went forward, not bothering to watch the gateway vanish. He simply walked forward, drawing out the Master Sword.

It did not take him long to reach the Gerudo King. The proud warrior stood before him, holding out a strange looking double-edged sword that looked like a double-edged meat cleaver. Link stopped and waited as Ganondorf, sensing the arrival of Link, turned to face him. When he turned, he grinned and began to walk towards the hero. Link studied him and noticed that Ganondorf was not walking with a limp, despite the fact that he had staggered his way towards the portal that led to this area with a cut in his side that was deep and would have been fatal for anyone else. The Gerudo King gave a laugh as Link approached and said, "I have to say that I was expecting you to come through, despite the fact that the portal would close behind you."

Link gave no reaction, merely holding up his massive sword, waiting for Ganondorf to make his move. "What, nothing to say?" Ganondorf taunted. "It's alright. You must be amazed by the scenery that will be your final resting place." He then motioned for the hero to look around. "It's amazing, isn't it? This is the Sacred Realm in all of its glory. The planet below is where the Temple of Light is situated. This entire realm is lit by the Triforce, or was, before that fateful day so long ago, when my attempt to reach the realm was thwarted by Zelda's ancestor, who was also named Zelda, and your ancestor, the Hero of Time. Ironically enough, it was the events in an alternate timeline that gave you, Zelda, and myself the power of the old gods. When the Hero of Time returned to this time with the Triforce of Courage of the alternate future in his hands, the Triforce, here, broke apart and entered the people who represented each aspect of the relic piece the most, me for Power, Zelda for Wisdom, and the Hero of Time, and later you, for Courage. Of course, the original Triforce of Courage was returned to the future through means I cannot yet fathom. There are still secrets of the gods and the Triforce that I do not yet know, but I will once I kill you, escape from here, and reclaim the Triforce. Or maybe I'll just go down to the world below and enter the Temple of Light, kill Rauru and the other Sages, and wait for the Royal Family to return the Triforce to its resting place, and then greet them and take it back for myself that way."

Link merely scowled and held out the Master Sword. "Don't like my plan?" Ganondorf asked mockingly. "Tough! You don't have the Triforce of Courage, so you don't have that to fall back on. And I am still a powerful sorcerer even without the Triforce of Power. Victory will not come easily for you. Now come at me with everything you've got. I want to do this properly, in a final fight to the death! We both wanted this, so lets do it. Let's end this cycle, once and for all!"

Link nodded and readied himself. He then ran towards the Gerudo King, holding up the Master Sword. While the sword was heavy, he was still more than capable of wielding it with relative ease. As he charged, though, Ganondorf merely grinned. As Link got close, Ganondorf rose into the air, hovering a few feet off the ground. Link, knowing that he was planning something, immediately retreated, and was soon rewarded for his wisdom, for Ganondorf promptly punched the ground and produced an earthquake as a ring of energy spread out from the point of impact. Several cracks appeared in the platform and pieces of it fell away, towards the planet. White lines showed the holes and the gouges in the platform, but it was still something that Link wanted to avoid.

He soon decided to back away even more and wait for Ganondorf to come to him. The Gerudo King did not disappoint as he flew right at Link, drawing his sword. Link gripped his Master Sword and waited for the opportune moment to strike. As Ganondorf neared the hero, he raised his sword in preparation for a strike. This was the hero's chance. Link performed a horizontal strike and managed to score a direct hit on Ganondorf, cutting through the Gerudo King's armor and inflicting significant damage. He pulled out the sword and slashed again, perforating Ganondorf's armor and adding another rend to it. He performed several more slashes, each of which pierced his armor and bit into the Gerudo King's flesh. Ganondorf used his healing magic to try to heal the damage that was being inflicted, but it was difficult. Without the Triforce of Power, he no longer had an infinite reserve of magic, and the healing spell that was keeping him alive through these injuries was costly. And this was before he would have to combat the evil destroying power of the Master Sword. He soon decided that the best course of action would be to retreat and make this a ranged battle, hopefully taking Link's sword fighting ability out of play.

He retreated from the hero and rose into the air once more. He did not perform another Earthquake Punch, for while creating a pit in the ground would help him keep this a ranged battle, it would also let Link know beyond any shadow of a doubt that the area could not be crossed. Even if he was beaten in a ranged battle here, if Link was impatient and not observant enough, he could fall through the cracks to the planet below, or drift out into space to die a slow death of starvation or thirst. Instead, he formed a ball of energy in his hand. Once it was formed, he tossed the ball towards Link. As soon as the ball arrived at Link, he immediately batted it back at the Gerudo King. Still, the hero was a ways away from him so he had plenty of time to redirect the ball back to the hero. He did so and watched as Link batted it back at him once more. The tennis match lasted for over a dozen volleys before Ganondorf eventually slipped and mistimed his strike. The ball struck him and stunned him as magical electricity arced across his body. As he hung in the air, Link drew out his bow and arrow and promptly unloaded arrow after arrow into the body of Ganondorf. The arrows each hit their mark and inflicted damage to him, sticking in his body for a second or two before being forcibly pushed out of his body by the healing spell he had cast on himself. However, the damage was still mounting, for he could feel his magical reserves dwindling. He needed a new plan, and fast.

Link would not give it to him, though, as he soon tied a bomb to one of his arrows. Before firing it, though, Link took out a Deku Nut as Ganondorf came over to perform another Earthquake Punch. He then tossed it at the Gerudo King and managed to score a direct hit on his enemy. The nut burst in a magnificent display of light and blinded the Gerudo King, stunning him and leaving him hanging in midair. Link then lit the Bomb Arrow and pulled back on the string. Once he had drawn a bead on the stunned Gerudo King, he let fly with his Bomb Arrow. The Bomb Arrow leapt from his bow and hit Ganondorf in the chest before exploding. The explosion sent the Gerudo King flying through the air and precariously close to one of the cracks in the platform, inflicting even more damage to the Gerudo King. As Ganondorf slowly rose he could feel his magical healing spell give out, having no more power to draw upon. This was it. It would be reduced to a swordfight.

Wasting no time, Link went over to him and tossed another Deku Nut at him. Ganondorf was prepared this time and closed his eyes while opening his other senses, trying to sense Link's location through them until the flash went off. Eventually, he saw the outline of the flash and heard the crack, indicating that the nut had gone off. He then opened his eyes and saw the half Hylian hero bearing down on him. He drew out his sword and raised it, blocking Link's strike. The two swords clashed and a loud clang rang out over the Sacred Realm. Link then pulled his sword back and Ganondorf went on the offensive, taking a few swings at the hero. Link managed to dodge or parry all of them, but he still was forced back several feet. Sensing that he had Link on the defensive, Ganondorf readied a stab at the hero and thrust his blade at Link's heart with all his power. Link, however, raised the Master Sword and knocked Ganondorf's blade off its path at the last second. Link then performed a side kick and sent Ganondorf reeling a few feet backwards. He then charged Ganondorf and unleashed a strong horizontal slash at the Gerudo King. Ganondorf adjusted the angle of his blade and caught Link's attack. Link then slid his blade off of Ganondorf's and waited for the Gerudo King to make the next strike.

Ganondorf slashed at Link's head, causing him to duck beneath the swipe. He then thrust his blade at Ganondorf, but the Gerudo King was able to sidestep the stab. He then rolled around to Link's back, but the half Hylian hero managed to avoid his version of the Back Slice. As Ganondorf rose to attack Link, Link retaliated with a slash that bit into the armor of the Gerudo King. However, Ganondorf managed to jump back before the blade bit too deeply into his skin. Still, Link's strike managed to draw blood and with him having used up all of his magical power healing from his numerous earlier wounds. Still, Ganondorf smiled. A plan formed in his mind and he realized that he had a chance to take out Link once and for all.

He proceeded to grip his sword in both hands and charged towards Link in preparation of bringing his sword down upon Link's head. Link responded by gripping his own sword in both hands and waited for Ganondorf to arrive. However, as Ganondorf was about to strike, he disappeared. Expecting a strike from the back, though, Link reversed his grip and thrust the Master Sword backwards. He could feel the blade pierce Ganondorf's armor and bite into his flesh. He turned and saw the Master Sword, three quarters of the blade having disappeared into Ganondorf's body and emerging out the back. It went through the upper right part of the torso. Ganondorf keeled over and coughed, a glob of blood issuing forth, indicating that he had punctured a lung. Link then turned around and saw Ganondorf slumping over on his blade. Link withdrew his own blade and then went to behead the evil king when Ganondorf staggered backwards, and onto a cracked portion of the platform. The platform gave way beneath him and suddenly, he found himself falling through the floor and off into outer space, accelerating away from Link. Link, not content to believe that a punctured lung would permanently put down the Gerudo King, drew an arrow and tied a bomb to it. He then lit the bomb and drew back on his bowstring. He lined up his sight with Ganondorf and when he figured that his aim was true, he let loose with his Bomb Arrow. The Bomb Arrow flew true enough and exploded as soon as it was on the verge of hitting him squarely in the chest. The explosion engulfed Ganondorf and sent him flying away from the planet's gravitational field. Link could see the burns on his body and was satisfied that Ganondorf was either dead or dying. As the evil king was left floating in space, Link then turned around and proceeded to go back the way he came, knowing that to go forward would be hazardous.

Before leaving, though, he stopped for a moment and looked back at the body of Ganondorf floating away, wondering if the Gerudo King was truly dead. Despite the link between them being broken, he had a feeling that he would know if Ganondorf were still alive, and he could not shake the feeling at the back of his mind that the Gerudo King was still alive. Still, he felt as if there was little he could do about it now. Ganondorf was floating off in the void, out of reach. Chances were that he would die. But if he did not, he would be ready to face the Gerudo King once more should he make his return. With that thought, he made his way back to the portal.

He traveled back along the path back to where the Gate of Time had taken him and as he approached, he did not see the Gate of Time, but he saw the girl that he had met in the Temple of Light standing before him. She was attired in almost identical clothing with the only difference being that her long white gown was now sleeveless. As she saw him approach, she smiled knowingly and nodded. Link stopped upon seeing the girl and his eyes went wide with surprise. "You!" he blurted. "I saw you in the Temple of Light. What are you doing here? Are you a servant of the Sages?"

The girl shook her head. "No, I do not serve the Sages. The one I serve is infinitely more powerful than I or any mortal could ever dream of being, even those that you call the Golden Goddesses." Her tone was plain and not condescending in any way.

Link's eyes went wide with surprise once again as he suddenly noticed that there was a faint glow about the girl. Despite not having any piece of the Triforce, or any magical power to speak of, he still sensed that this girl was infinitely more powerful than he had ever imagined. "Who are you?" he asked.

"I'm a friend," she answered kindly. She looked behind her and a small portal appeared behind her. "The Sacred Realm has many secrets that the Sages, and even the Golden Guardians of Hyrule do not know," she began, smiling. She then motioned towards the portal behind her. "The portal behind me will take you back to Hyrule where you can live your live in well-earned peace. However, do know that the image you saw in the Temple of Light is real and it is happening now."

"How are the Twili doing?" Link asked the girl, suspecting that she knew everything that was going on in the battle.

"They are holding their own for now," the girl answered. "However, the Twili will not hold out much longer against the Elvanheim." Link noted the use of the Magic Lords' true name. "Be careful, though, for the choice you make here will have consequences. You bear a piece of the Triforce, an item coveted by the Elvanheim, as well as the Master Sword. If you choose to go to the Twilight Realm, there is a very real chance that it will be a one-way trip, even if you manage to repair the Mirror of Twilight in Hyrule. Also, know that the Master Sword is an effective weapon against the Elvanheim, one of the few, since with Heaven's Light, it has the power to not only repel, but destroy, evil. However, if it is lost, then there will be little that can save Hyrule should another great evil attack it, for the Master Sword is the ultimate equalizer against the forces of evil, an even greater power than the Triforce in that regard."

"Why are you telling me all of this," Link asked, unable to fathom who the girl is and why she was doing this for him.

"So that you will have all of the information to make the decision that is best for you."

"What do you think I should do?" Link asked, hoping for her to advise him on the best course of action.

"What you do is your decision and yours, alone," the girl answered in what Link thought may have been in a maternal fashion, which surprised him since she looked to be merely a child, despite her extreme power.

He then considered his options. A part of him wanted to stay in Hyrule and live there peacefully, but he could not shake the knowledge that the Twili were fighting a losing battle against the Magic Lords. He could not simply abandon them, and Midna. And knowing that the Magic Lords were able to fight the old gods, he knew that he would need weapons with the power to repel evil if he were to have a chance at all of being able to be an asset against the Magic Lords. However, he also knew that if he went to the Twilight Realm, it could very well be a one-way trip.

He then thought about Hyrule. He had friends there. In addition, Hyrule had faced evils other than Demise and Ganondorf in the past, most notably the Magic Lords' invasion. He knew that he could not simply take the Master Sword and the Triforce of Courage with him, for he knew that while the Light Arrows that Zelda wielded were powerful, they still had their limits, unlike the True Master Sword that he wielded. There was also the fact that Ganondorf still had his followers and that they would almost certainly seek revenge on those who destroyed their master, as well as the kingdom that he was defending as well. He then focused back on the girl and asked, "If I go into the Twilight Realm to help the Twili, will I be able to help them if I don't have either the Triforce of Courage, or the Master Sword?"

"Yes, but your quest would be far more difficult," the girl answered directly. "You would very likely die in the fighting."

"But it is not a certainty?"

"Very little is," the girl answered. As if sensing Link's thoughts, she continued, "You have all of the information you need to make your decision. Do know, though, that whatever you decide, there will be consequences, to you, Hyrule, as well as the Twili."

That was when Link made up his mind. He immediately unsheathed the Master Sword.

He then headed on over to the portal that led back to Hyrule. Before stepping through, he looked back and saw the girl smile at him knowingly. He strongly suspected that this was not the last that he would see of her. With that thought, he made his way through the portal, and back into Hyrule.

Link emerged from the portal back in the Sacred Grove in the ruins of the Temple of Time, the portal closing behind him. When he stepped back through the portal, he was greeted by Zelda, who had been anxiously awaiting his return, or that of Ganondorf. Her face immediately lit up with hope when she saw him emerge from the portal. She rushed over to the Hylian hero and asked, "Is it over?"

Link looked back at Zelda and nodded, smiling. "It is over. We won," he answered.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16:

Zelda stared at Link, barely able to comprehend the fact that Ganondorf had finally been killed. After a few moments, her face split into a relieved smile. "It's over," she said absently, still scarcely able to believe that Ganondorf had been beaten and that the link between the three of them had been severed. "By the gods, it's actually over. Ganondorf is dead. The curse is broken. The kingdom is safe."

Link simply watched as Zelda had to work to control herself and keep herself from breaking out into a dance of celebration. Ganondorf had finally been beaten. She did not know why she was so relieved, only having encountered him six months ago, and only for a short time, but still, she felt as if a great weight was lifted off her shoulders, as well as the kingdom. She did not know all of the secrets of Demise's curse and how it linked her, Link, and Ganondorf, or rather, any incarnation of Demise's hatred, but she knew that with the cycle ended, Hyrule could finally begin to grow and prosper as it should without fear of it being thrown into war after a few decades or even a century.

As Zelda was still letting it sink in that the cycle was finally broken, Link made his way over to the Triforce. As he walked, the vision of the battle in the Twilight Realm was still fresh in his mind, as well as the talk he had with the girl, who was obviously a being that was even stronger than the gods of Hyrule, though according to her, she was still, herself, a servant of an even greater power. He knew that his quest was not over yet. He had to help the people of the Twilight Realm fight off the Magic Lords. To do that, he would need to rebuild the Mirror of Twilight that had Midna had shattered just as she made her way back to the Twilight Realm.

He soon arrived at the relic and stared at the glowing golden relic. A whirlwind of thoughts went through his mind. A part of him wanted this to be the end of his quest so he could just settle down. Another part of him knew, though, that his quest could not end here, that there was still one more thing he had to do. Not only did the Twili need his help right now, he had since learned that if what Demise said was true, that the Twili's ancestors, the Dark Interlopers, had actually wanted the Triforce as a defense against the Magic Lords should they come and had tried to warn the other peoples of Hyrule of the threat that was coming. The greed of the people had gotten the better of them and they fought over the Triforce, ignoring the warnings of the Interlopers, eventually forcing them to seek the Triforce when the threat of the Magic Lords was on the world's doorstep. As a result, _they_ had been the ones punished, chased around Hyrule and through the desert until they had been caught and were then banished to the Twilight Realm. Now, they were facing the enemies that had driven the old gods of Hyrule to the brink and had killed more than half of them. He knew that going into the Twilight Realm to help the Twili fight the Magic Lords could result in his death. He did not care, though. All he cared about was the fact that his friend, and possibly more, was in trouble. She needed help and he would help her.

He then reached out with his sword hand and touched the Triforce, wishing with all his heart that the Mirror of Twilight would be fixed and brought to this temple so he could use it to travel to the Twilight Realm and assist the Twili in their battle against the Magic Lords. As he touched it, though, nothing happened. The Triforce did not glow and there was no high-pitched ringing. The relic was inert. He withdrew his hand and then touched the relic once more. Again, nothing happened. He began to wonder why the relic was not responding when he looked over and saw that it was being touched by another. The other person that was touching it was the same woman that had been talking to Ganondorf during their battle before the Gerudo King had been forced to retreat through the Gate of Time to the Sacred Realm. Looking at the woman's eyes, Link could tell that there was sadness in them. "I'm sorry Link, but I cannot allow you to make your wish upon the Triforce," she said, looking down at the ground and shaking her head, unable to look the hero in the eyes."

"Why?" Link asked, perplexed as to who the woman was, why her touching the relic would turn the Triforce inert.

"Because the threat that would be posed by you using the Triforce to repair the Mirror of Twilight would be too great."

Meanwhile, not too far away from the Triforce, Zelda had noticed the woman come up and was hearing the conversation between her and Link. As soon as she heard the woman's answer to Link's question, she then interjected, "And how would Link's wishing for the Mirror of Twilight to be repaired and allow the Twili to reenter the Light World be a threat? The only truly evil Twili was Zant, and he was using Ganondorf's power. Zant is dead and the Twili have since returned to normal."

"And the Elvanheim, those you call Magic Lords and Dragon Lords are attacking the Palace of Twilight at this very moment!" the woman retorted. "The last thing we want is for the Elvanheim to return to Hyrule, or do you want a repeat of the War in the Heavens and a second Sundering of Hyrule!"

"What makes you think that the Magic Lords would come back to Hyrule?" Zelda inquired sagely. "They lost to you once. I doubt that they would want to attack again, especially a spur of the moment attack."

"We aren't willing to take that risk," the woman answered. "And besides, the Elvanheim didn't lose. They pushed us to the limit in the war. The war was in doubt, with the strong possibility that the Elvanheim may have been in the position of strength before they found something on this world, took it, and simply departed from Hylia as quickly as they had come. The outcome was at best inconclusive. We can't afford to risk having to fight them again, especially with out diminished numbers. Even though we would be likely to win if they sent only a small force, the damage done to the world would be still catastrophic, and we don't know their full number since we may have only been fighting a small portion of the species in the war. Also, don't forget that there are other races beginning to appear on other continents. The Toads and the Koopas are beginning to rise and create their own kingdoms, along with other peoples."

Link and Zelda were shocked when the woman said that she had fought the Magic Lords before, so much so that they had not heard her mention the Toads, Koopas, or other peoples on other continents. It was Zelda who would speak first. "You fought the Magic Lords before?"

"Yes," the woman answered, nodding. "During the War in the Heavens. The War in the Heavens was, in essence, our war against the Elvanheim."

"Then you are one of the gods," Zelda blurted.

The woman did not nod, but she simply replied, "Or what you Hylians call gods. My name is Din." That caused Zelda's eyes to go wide with shock, but Link had already suspected that she was one of the old gods. "I was one of the creators of the Triforce. That is why I can negate its power and deactivate it with a touch. We made the Triforce to give hope to mortals, but we installed a couple of failsafes in it just in case it was necessary to prevent the mortals from misusing it. The first one was that unless one's heart was balanced, the Triforce would split when touched by the person seeking its power and the wish it would grant. This would be true regardless of whether or not the person was good or evil since the relic would not be able to distinguish a good heart from an evil one. That was done to prevent a person who was good from using it and gaining power if he or she were being blackmailed, or even if the person was good, but would likely become evil with the prospect of gaining absolute power. The second, as you can see, is the fact that we can deactivate it with a simple touch. This is done to prevent a wish that could have disastrous consequences, even if the wisher does not know it and has a pure and balanced heart. I'm sorry Link, but I cannot allow your wish to be granted. The damage done would be too great."

"That's not necessarily so," a new voice stated plainly.

Link soon heard a soft chime and noticed that the Triforce was active once more. Din stared at the relic, her eyes wide with surprise and her hand began to glow orange as she used her power to try to deactivate the Triforce. Almost an instant later, two more young women appeared, each of whom Link had seen in passing before. One of them had green hair tied into two buns and wore a green shirt and pants, and had green eyes, while the other had long blue hair, wore a blue sleeveless dress, and had blue eyes. Link suspected that the new arrivals were Farore and Nayru. They added their power to Din's but it was of no use and the Triforce continued to glow. Link looked over to a ruined bench and saw the girl he had met in the past, as well as in the Sacred Realm sitting there, smiling at Link and the others. Next to her stood the Light Spirit, Ordona, the one Light Spirit that had not consented to the decision made by the gods regarding the Dark Interlopers. The goddesses' eyes flashed in surprise when they saw Ordona. However, they did not seem to notice the girl, and neither did Zelda, as she simply stared at the Light Spirit. They backed away a bit from the Triforce, surprised that Ordona seemingly had the power to stop them from disabling it. Link knew that the girl was the one reactivating it, though.

"You were wrong about the Dark Interlopers," Ordona said plainly, though the accusation was clear. "What makes you think that you will be right about the Magic Lords now? The Twilight Ream is under attack. The Twili are being assaulted by the Magic Lords and while they are holding their own against them for now, it won't last. Eventually, they will be overrun and then the Sols will be lost forever. Even worse, they could come into the possession of the Magic Lords. Do you want that? The Twili were punished for the acts of their king and his personal retinue, even after they stopped him and defeated him, themselves. The fact that the people of Hyrule would never have used the Triforce to defend themselves is not in dispute, if it ever could be. The people back then were selfish and they all suffered in the war. Do not punish the Twili a second time. They need help. Let Link help them."

"But he doesn't have the necessary tools with which to fight them!" Nayru countered. "The Light Arrows that Zelda has are mere copies of the original Light Arrows and are not powerful enough on their own to kill a Magic Lord. He would need to power up his own arrows with the Light of the Sols to make them as strong as the original Light Arrows."

"That is not impossible, assuming the Palace of Twilight has yet to be overrun," Din interjected."

"But he would need more tools to get to the palace without being destroyed," Farore added. "And while the Master Sword is good at repelling evil magic, area of effect spells can still get through and damage Link."

"Besides the Magic Lords are fast," Nayru added. "If they knew that ranged attacks were not working, they would quickly engage Link in close combat and overwhelm him that way."

"Then he would need to get the Mirror Shield to use against area of effect spells," Ordona stated.

"Where is the Mirror Shield?" Link asked.

"There is one in the Gerudo Fortress in Gerudo Desert," Farore answered. "However, the Gerudos in the desert could quickly call in reinforcements from the forces that took control of Hyrule Castle and Hyrule Castle is currently in possession of the Gerudos under the command of Twinrova and Aveil."

"Who are Twinrova and Aveil?" Link asked.

"Twinrova are the collective term for two twin Gerudo witches," Ordona answered. "One commands the element of fire, while the other commands ice. Their names are Koume and Kotake. They can fuse into a single being known as Twinrova. Twinrova can use both fire and ice magic. They are also capable of using brainwashing magic as well. Aveil is Ganondorf's second in command. During the schism, she was the one who took command of the Gerudos after Ganondorf's initial banishing. Her forces have grown in strength, but they have expended many of their resources taking Hyrule Castle and assisting their king, Ganondorf. With his death, should the Gerudos at Hyrule Castle be defeated, it would be a devastating blow to the Ganon-loyal Gerudos, and a blessing to the nobler Gerudos." Thinking back, Ordona then added, "The situation with the Gerudos is much like it was with the Twili a couple centuries ago."

Link nodded and thought about what Ordona had said. He turned and went back to the Triforce to make his wish but Ordona then called out to him, "Wait."

Link stopped and turned back to the Light Spirit. "Don't make the wish yet," the Light Spirit directed. "There is no one guarding the Mirror of Twilight, and as such, if it was opened from the Twilight Realm's side, something that might be possible if the Mirror is reconstructed, it could be used to allow the Magic Lords to gain entry. This is what the golden goddesses are worried about."

"Then I won't make the wish until after we clear Hyrule Castle and reach the Arbiter's Grounds," Link answered.

He then touched the Triforce and the relic glowed and then disappeared, fading into Link's hand. Once the Triforce faded into his hand, he saw Zelda come over to him. "Do you wish to come with me?" he asked Zelda.

"I wish I could be there for the full trip," Zelda answered. "But there will be too much to do here I Hyrule once we finish retaking the castle. I will help you in any way that I can, though," she told him.

"Thank you."

"Be careful Link," Ordona warned. "The Gerudos are not to be taken lightly, as you must already know. Twinrova is very powerful, and Aveil is a skilled fighter."

Link smiled and nodded. With that, the two then proceeded to make their way out of the Sacred Grove. As they departed, Din, Farore, and Nayru watched them leave. Din watched particularly closely and said, "Good luck, Link."

The other goddesses echoed Din's sentiment and soon, green and blue flames surrounded Farore and Nayru's bodies respectively and they then rocketed into the air and returned to the heavens. Din waited a few moments longer before she, too, surrounded herself with orange flames and shot into the sky like a rocket. The goddesses were out of sight in only a few seconds, leaving only Ordona, and the girl, who emerged from behind a ruined pillar. Ordona, sensing the girl, for she did nothing to hide herself from the Light Spirit, turned to face her and it asked, "Will we ever see Link again?"

"Yes," she answered. "But it might be a while," she added with a smile. "However, he will be happy and will find what he is searching for."

Ordona nodded and what passed for a smile crossed the Light Spirit's face. Ordona then departed the Sacred Grove, not wanting to intrude upon Faron's domain for any longer than necessary. Once the Light Spirit departed, the girl, too, disappeared and vanished from the scene, but she would not be far behind her charge, Link.

Meanwhile, over in the Hyrule Castle, Koume and Kotake sat on their brooms, which hovered a few feet above the ground, and waited for any word to come from their leader, Ganondorf. As they had been waiting, a horrible sensation came over them and they almost fell off of their broomsticks. After catching themselves and righting themselves on the brooms, they each looked at each other in horror, as if they had seen a ghost. When they saw the same expression in each other's eyes, they knew that something terrible had happened. As one, they opened their senses in an attempt to scan the land for any sigh of Ganondorf. Using their magic, they did their best to isolate the magical signal of their king. They scanned provinces of Hyrule, starting with Lanayru Province, but soon expanding their search to not only the three provinces with Light Spirits, but also the Desert Province as well. Eventually, they discovered that they were unable to sense Ganondorf anywhere. As the sensation of his absence came to them, a horrible feeling came upon them and they dreaded the worst.

"Kotake, I can no longer sense the great lord Ganondorf," Koume said ominously.

"Nor can I, Koume," came the answer from the other sorceress sister.

"Could he have actually been killed by Link?" they both asked in unison, both each other and the air surrounding them.

They did not have any answers, but they knew that if Ganondorf was, indeed, dead, that it would not be long before Link, Zelda, and their other enemies came for them as well, for the loss of Ganondorf would embolden the rebels and then there would be trouble. Still, they would make the necessary preparations for any eventual outcome. To that end, Koume rode high into the air and said, "Come Kotake, we have to put the others on alert. Our enemies are coming and I want to be ready for them."

"Yes," Kotake echoed. "We must prepare for the arrival of Link and his friends."

"Where will he go, though?" Koume asked. "Surely with his adventure being over, in his mind, he might relax rather than return to Hyrule Castle."

"He will not," Kotake answered. "Not as long as we remain in Hyrule Castle. If he killed the Great Lord Ganondorf, he would surely have taken our master's Triforce of Power with him. If he gains the Triforce of Wisdom, he might make a wish to allow the Twili to return."

"That cannot be allowed," Koume answered. "The others in the desert are already fighting a losing war with the Gerudo Rebels. If they were to learn that Ganondorf was dead, the rebels would become emboldened and launch more devastating attacks, no longer having to fear any repercussions from their king."

"But what are we to do?" Kotake asked.

"We shall summon as many as we can to assist here. All bandits and mercenaries in our employ shall be placed around the castle so as to prevent anyone from being able to gain entry. We shall gain our revenge on Link by killing those who are closest to him just before we finish him, too, for with our numbers, and the fact that he will likely wait to make his wish to the Triforce, he will be easier to defeat."

The two Sorceress Sisters then nodded in agreement. Then as one, they rocketed off to alert the other Gerudos of the coming invaders. And once that would be finished, they would return to meet Link, Zelda, and whoever else would come to reclaim the castle.

Meanwhile, for Link and Zelda, trip out of the Sacred Grove, was free of any incident. As they emerged from the grove and entered Faron Woods once more, Link got out a horseshoe-like flute that was designed to be used to call Epona. It had been designed for him by his friend Ilia during the Invasion of Twilight but he had found it useful even after the invasion. While neither she, nor any Ordonian, was known to have any magical ability, he felt that the flute must have had some magical properties, for Epona could hear the Horse Call from anywhere in Hyrule and she would always appear after Link blew into it a few moments later. He promptly blew into the whistle and played Epona's Song. As soon as the song ended, he heard the neighing of Epona and he looked out and saw the horse galloping towards him. When she arrived, she stopped and stood at his side. Before mounting her, though, Link turned to Zelda and asked, "Is there anywhere I can take you before we go to reclaim Hyrule Castle, my queen?"

Zelda nodded. "Yes, there is," she answered. "I wish to go to Hyrule Castle Town, if that is okay with you."

"It is," Link answered.

Zelda then mounted Epona and was quickly followed by Link, who still took the reigns. Once they were ready, they turned towards the bridge that would take them into Hyrule Field and with a light kick, Epona carried Link and Epona past the bridge and into Hyrule Field.

The ride through Hyrule Field was surprisingly pleasant. There were no Bulblins or Bokoblins to deal with, for with Ganondorf defeated, and likely dead, they had no support from their leader and had been driven back to various caves and other areas to hide from any passing heroes or wandering soldiers. Those who had supported Ganondorf suddenly found that with him gone, they had chosen the losing side and many of the people of Hyrule wanted to get revenge for their actions during both the Invasion of Twilight, as well as the Return of Ganondorf. Still, Link looked out west in the direction of the desert and felt as if there were still Bulblins, Bokoblins, and other monsters and enemy warriors waiting in the desert for his arrival. A part of him really wanted Zelda to come along with him in the desert after they retook Hyrule Castle, but he knew that she had a duty to her people, especially in the wake of the invasion of Hyrule Castle by Ganondorf and his forces and despite the Gerudo King's defeat, he knew that the remnants of his army would not surrender Hyrule Castle without a fight.

As they continued to ride through Hyrule Field in order to take Zelda to Hyrule Castle Town, they were on constant watch for any thieves or mercenaries that might have been hiding out in the field. Despite the lack of Bokoblins or Bulblins, they did not think that the Gerudos, themselves, or any other band of thieves would hesitate to attack any unsuspecting travelers. However, Link suspected that they would be more wary of attacking armed travelers, but he did not want to take any chances. As such, both he and Zelda kept a sharp eye out for any potential ambushes. Zelda also transformed into her Sheik disguise in order so that her presence would not draw any undue attention towards herself and Link.

During the ride, they did come across a couple bands of thieves. The thieves were lowlife Hylians that had likely once been Hylian soldiers but had almost certainly chosen the wrong side of the conflict with Ganondorf and were now without a leader, and too proud, or scared, to beg Zelda for forgiveness and try to atone for their wrongdoing. The bands of thieves had been armed with bows and arrows and had taken a few shots at Link and Zelda. The two had retaliated with their own volley of arrows and sent the thieves into an early retirement by way of their volley of arrows.

The rest of the ride was uneventful and eventually, they made it back to Hyrule Castle Town. When they were in town, he dismounted so he could help her down if she needed it. She did not, though, and she dismounted with the grace of a natural equestrian. Once she was off, she turned to Link and asked, "Before we continue, may I ask how you intend to access Gerudo Desert once we clear Hyrule Castle and you get the Mirror Shield? The only previous ways of doing so were by warping or using Fyer's Oasis Flight, if I remember correctly."

"Using the Oasis Flight will not be a problem," Link told her.

"Well, that won't be necessary," she told him. "Before Ganondorf's return, several of our soldiers noticed a band of female thieves, which we now know to be Gerudos, moving supplies through a small pass that was recently mined into the cliff west of Hyrule Field, and even west of Lake Hylia. We believe that this area leads to the Gerudo Fortress and can even be used to access the Arbiter's Grounds."

"I've heard of it," Link said. "I thought about exploring it but I was distracted by Ganondorf's return."

"Be careful," Zelda cautioned. This area is not well known by the forces of Hyrule. Even the members of Telma's Resistance know little about this area. Chances are that if the Gerudos have returned to the desert, that they will have set a great deal of traps as well."

"I know," Link said, nodding. "I'll be careful." He then looked downcast at Zelda and told her, "Zelda, the mission that I am going on is a personal mission. This is something I feel as if I have to do. You and the others do not,"

Zelda looked him straight in the eye and answered, "Link, you're the hero of Hyrule. You have a title of the Hero of Twilight in the Twilight Realm and the Hero of Light here. You have done so much for this kingdom, just as much as any who has carried the name 'Link'. Neither I, nor any of your other friends, will leave you at a time when you need our help. You do what you have to do to save not only the Twilight Realm, but also potentially protect Hyrule from another invasion by the Magic Lords as well. We'll be right behind you. We won't be like those timid, cowardly soldiers who once called themselves Knights of Hyrule."

Link smiled and replied, "I know. Just make sure you and the others don't get in over your heads, or at least let me help you clear Hyrule Castle."

Zelda considered Link's request and then asked, "But what about your going to the Mirror of Twilight?"

"If I can deal with the Gerudo leaders at Hyrule Castle, then I should have no problem getting the Mirror Shield at Gerudo Fortress since they not only won't be able to call in reinforcements, but they also will have lost their leaders."

"Very well, you may come," Zelda answered, smiling. Link was about to make another request but Zelda placed her fingers to his lips, silencing him. "I know what you're going to want me to do and no. Keep the Triforce. You'll have more need of it than me, especially if there are more monsters in the desert than expected after we clear the castle."

Link gave a sigh but decided not to push the issue. He knew that Zelda was right. After the exchange was completed, they proceeded to make their way towards Telma's Bar, an out of the way building in the south road of the south part of Hyrule Castle Town. When they arrived, Link led Epona to the side of the bar and told her to remain there until he came for her. He finished by patting her on the head. By the time they entered the bar, Zelda had already assumed her Sheik disguise so as to not draw too much attention to herself as she entered.

When they entered the bar, they found that it was mostly devoid of activity. It was between hours so they had not expected to see many people there. Zelda looked over at the counter and saw Telma, a middle-aged woman with long red hair tied into a ponytail with the long pointed ears of a Hylian, tending the bar. Telma looked over at Link and Zelda and gave a knowing smile, not being fooled at all by the queen's disguise. Zelda was not surprised that she knew her secret, either, for she knew that Telma had knowledge on many secrets of the kingdom of Hyrule. Telma then motioned towards a table where four people were gathered, one of whom Link recognized as being Rusl. The others present were Ashei, Shad, a young Hylian scholar with light brown to almost red hair who had been studying the Oocca, a race of bird-like sky beings, and Auru, an older tall Hylian with gray hair and a sturdy build. Zelda recognized him as being one of her tutors when she was younger. He knew a lot about the history of Hyrule and she would not have been surprised if he knew about the curse of Demise.

They went over to the table where the rest of 'Telma's Resistance' was sitting and when she arrived, they turned to look at her. Ashei studied her but did not say anything, but it was clear that she thought she knew the ninja that was visiting them. However, it was Auru who spoke first. "Queen Zelda," he said, bowing before her.

Zelda gave a smile from underneath the bandages that covered her face. She unwrapped her bandages and revealed her face to the party, though she kept her long hair tied so as to not alert anyone else that may wander into the bar as to her true identity. "My queen," Shad and Ashei both said in unison, bowing their heads for a bit. "What brings you here?" Shad asked.

"What is the situation at Hyrule Castle?" Zelda asked. "Things have changed since I left the castle."

"From what we can tell, there are still enemy soldiers inside the castle, mostly Bokoblins and Bulblins. However, there may be a few Moblins and/or Darknuts in there as well," Shad answered.

"There also look to be a number of female warriors that have tanned skin and orange hair," Ashei added. "They don't wear any armor, but they wield twin scimitars and they also oftentimes come with bows and arrows."

"A few of the more courageous Knights of Hyrule are standing by outside the castle, waiting for the order to attack," Shad informed Zelda. "However, it seems as if many of the enemy soldiers that remain are just remnants and that the initial attackers are either dead or have evacuated the castle. The only newcomers are the Gerudos that Ashei just mentioned." He then looked up and asked, "What are the changes that you spoke of earlier?"

"Ghirahim is destroyed and Ganondorf has been defeated and likely killed," Zelda answered, not bothering to hide her relief.

"Ganondorf was back?" Shad asked almost in disbelief.

Zelda nodded. "He had the support of the Gerudos and his more familiar allies on his side, but yes. He was back, even if his army wasn't as large as before. However, he's been dealt with, which is why I was so concerned about what was happening at the castle. Has there been an exodus of any sort from the castle?"

"Not that we've seen," Auru answered. "But if things got really bad, they may have used magic in order to escape the castle. Chances are that there are still Gerudo forces in the castle."

"Then we'll have to expect to face some Gerudos," Zelda concluded. "Our goal is to clear out Hyrule Castle. Once that is done, though, I have a personal request. I wish for volunteers to go and help out Link as he goes to the Mirror of Twilight to reassemble it so he can go help out a friend in need."

"Are you sure that's such a good idea?" Ashei asked. "The last people to come through the mirror were the Twili, which led to the Invasion of Twilight."

"Zant had conquered the Twili and was being supported by Ganondorf," Zelda answered. "The Twilight Princess, now likely Twilight Queen, Midna, was a friend who helped us defeat Ganondorf at the end of the invasion and personally killed Zant, herself. Midna's people are being invaded by the Magic Lords and…"

"Hold on," Auru blurted. "Did you say Magic Lords?"

Zelda nodded.

"Who are the Magic Lords?" Ashei and Rusl asked.

"The Magic Lords are also called the Elvanheim," Auru answered. "Just after the Dark Interlopers were banished to the Twilight Realm, the Magic Lords invaded Hyrule and waged a bloody war against the gods of this world called the War of the Heavens. It is said that over half of the gods were killed before the war finally ended and the Elvanheim were eventually defeated and driven off."

"They weren't beaten," Link corrected, drawing a disapproving glance from Zelda. "They fled after they found an object from this world. The outcome of the war was always in doubt."

"And Link wants to give them an avenue of reentry to Hyrule?" Shad blurted, echoing Auru's sentiments.

"Despite what Midna said when she shattered the Mirror of Twilight, there is a very real chance that the Magic Lords could still access this realm from the Twilight Realm," Zelda stated. "The rift has already been formed. It's just that the door on this side is closed. Their power is great and they may be able to open it up once more should the Twili fall. Don't forget that the Twili's ancestors tried to warn the people of Hyrule that something was coming before they went to attempt to acquire the Triforce. They were ignored and the Sundering of Hyrule came as a result of that. Now, we have a chance to avoid making the same mistake again, and possibly even finishing off the remnants of the Magic Lords. We can't ignore that."

"Even if Link got the Mirror Shield, what makes you think that he could defeat a Magic Lord?" Rusl asked.

"Link will have the Master Sword," Zelda answered. "The Master Sword is the Blade of Evil's Bane and is a weapon that will be effective against the Magic Lords, especially with its current power."

"Will that be enough?" Rusl asked.

Zelda nodded. "It will when Link gains hold of the Light Arrows. With them, he should have the tools necessary to defeat the Magic Lords."

"If there aren't too many of them," Auru cautioned.

"One question," Ashei interrupted. "Why are we so worried about the Magic Lords right now? We still have to go about clearing out Hyrule Castle. We can worry about potentially facing them later."

"Thank you Ashei," Zelda told her. The discussion soon turned back towards retaking Hyrule Castle.

"So, what is the situation?" Zelda asked.

"We have three dozen Knights of Hyrule standing outside the castle ground, ready and awaiting your orders, Your Grace," Auru answered.

Zelda was less than impressed. "Are there any other reserves?" she asked in a dour tone.

Auru shook his head. "No, my queen. That was all that answered the call. However, we may be able to gain a few more with you and Link in the picture. Still, that would risk you being exposed to the current Gerudo leader."

"That won't be a problem," Zelda stated confidently. "I'll take on their current leader if that's what it takes."

Auru wanted to disagree but seeing her resolve, he kept silent. He would simply be there to support her if necessary. His only remaining question was, "When do we go?"

"Right now," Zelda answered.

As one, the group rose from the table, and proceeded to depart the bar. Each of the members left a blue rupee tip for Telma as they rose and departed, with Auru going towards the counter to pick up a package that appeared to be addressed to him and Shad. While any other patron would have simply seen that as a gesture of generosity, Telma knew that it meant that they were about to take action in the retaking of Hyrule Castle. She nodded to each of them as they left the bar and went about on their mission.

As the group walked through the town to the Town Center and then towards the castle grounds, Zelda raised her bandages back up to conceal her mouth so that no one would be able to identify her as the Queen of Hyrule. Despite all of the goings on at the castle, the Castle Town was still a bustling place. It also did not appear as if crime had increased, for there were no signs that theft was rampant. Still, the members of 'The Group' took great care to protect their weapons and items from being stolen.

It did not take long for them to reach the entry road to the Castle Grounds. Just before they reached a bridge that went over a small moat, they were met by three dozen Knights of Hyrule, each of the knights being dressed in chain mail armor with the Hyrulean Crest on their chest, each of them being armed with a sword, a spear, and a shield. A dozen of the knights were also equipped with bows and arrows, with some of them having Bomb Arrows. They also wore a helmet that wrapped around their whole head, but still allowed them to see. When Zelda arrived, she went up to the captain of the knights, the captain wearing plate mail, and asked, "What is the situation?"

"So far, there's been little activity in the castle and on the grounds, itself," the captain answered. "We've seen no one come in or out, but since the Gerudo leaders are magicians, they could simply have used magic to come and go as they pleased, or summon reinforcements."

Zelda extended her magical senses and tried to ascertain if there were any magicians in the castle. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes and reported, "I'm not sensing any magicians in there besides Koume and Kotake. We should be good to go."

"So, what's the plan?" the captain asked.

"I go up and draw any fire from the walls. Once the enemies fire on me, you and the others," motioning towards Link and Rusl, "take them out with your ranged weapons."

"Understood, my queen," the captain said hesitantly. He did not like the idea of Zelda being the one to draw the enemy fire. Still, he knew his orders and he would obey them. Besides, if anyone could survive being the decoy, it would be Zelda. Link was also not amused and he gave Zelda a questioning glance. She merely responded with a reassuring smile of confidence.

When she was ready, Zelda charged across the bridge and into the castle grounds. As she charged, when she got close to the first pillar, a Bulblin rose on the top of the pillar and prepared to fire on the Hyrulean Queen. The guards, Link, and 'The Group', however, covered Zelda and proceeded to fire on any Bulblin that rose to try to shoot Zelda. The Bulblin never had a chance. As Zelda made her way past the first set of pillars, she quickly came upon the second set and was accosted by a quartet of Gerudo thieves that were raining arrows down at her. She quickly dove to the side, not wanting to reveal her true identity just yet, and readied a volley of needles. Once they were ready, she unleashed them upon the Gerudos and caused them to recoil in pain as the needles hit them. A couple of the thieves stumbled backwards and fell off the towers, hitting the ground below. Zelda drew out her dagger and made certain that the fallen Gerudos were finished with a single stab to the heart. The other Gerudos that rose up to face her were met with a shower of arrows from the Knights, 'The Group', and Link. They were taken down before they could even draw their bows.

After making her way past the pillars, she came close to the castle walls. As expected, as soon as she approached, almost a dozen Bulblins and Gerudos emerged from cover and rained arrows down on her. Seeing that she could not afford to maintain her disguise any longer, she shed her disguise and revealed her true identity as the Queen of Hyrule. A blue diamond then encased her and the arrows bounced off of her protective shield. The surprise at seeing Zelda use such powerful magic caused them to miss Auru, who was equipped with what could only be described as a hand cannon or an old fashioned bazooka. He fired a single explosive ball from the cannon up at the Bulblins and Gerudos. The ball reached the top of the wall and fell among the enemies, exploding and flinging the bodies, or what was left of the bodies, of the enemies falling to the ground below. As soon as the Gerudos and the Bulblins were dealt with, the rest of the soldiers and 'Group' members came through to join Zelda at the walls. Two soldiers kept their bows ready, just in case there were any more enemies up on the wall.

Once the group arrived at the door to the castle, Zelda told Link and the others, "Stay behind me. I'll use Nayru's Love to protect myself, and you, from the initial enemy volley. Use my shield as cover and attack with everything you've got. We can't hold back here."

"Understood, Your Grace," the others responded.

The group then formed up behind Zelda and waited as she thrust the doors open and proceeded to enter the castle, the soldiers and the members of Telma's Resistance following her into the castle.

The group entered the castle and found the interior hall to be filled with a large number of Bulblins and a few Gerudos having taken up positions around the area, waiting in ambush. Link, expecting to face an ambush upon entering the castle, had already drawn his bow and fired a Bomb Arrow at the enemy forces, targeting the largest concentration of enemies. The arrow leapt from his bow and it struck a Gerudo squarely in the chest, the resulting detonation annihilating the female thief, along with her entourage of Bulblins.

Zelda was standing right next to Link as she activated Nayru's Love, causing the arrows, flaming arrows, and Bomb Arrows, to bounce off of her shield inflicting no harm. She quickly pulled out her Light Bow and readied a Light Arrow. Pulling back on the string, she fired her Light Arrow at one of the Gerudo thieves leading the defense. The arrow struck the Gerudo right in the heart and sent her flying back. The arrow easily pierced the Gerudo, going in through her chest and out her back. The arrow continued through a number of Bulblins behind her and only stopped upon reaching the wall, disintegrating upon striking the wall much like a frangible bullet.

The others were quickly dealing with the Bulblins. The Knights of Hyrule that were armed with bows and arrows were making their skill known as they shot down Gerudo thieves that were coming out onto the balconies to aid the other castle defenders. With each arrow, another Gerudo or Bulblin was slain, and another enemy threat neutralized. By the time the battle in the main hall was complete, more than twenty dead Gerudos and Bulblins laid on the ground with no casualties for Zelda's forces.

Once the battle was finished, Zelda took six of her Knights aside and instructed them, "You remain here and secure the area. We'll clear out the rest of the castle."

"Yes, ma'am," the knights answered as they stood at attention.

Zelda then turned to the others and told them, "Everyone else, come with me. We have a castle to clear."

The rest of the group headed through the door where they were met by a duo of Darknuts. Link and the others dove to one side, though, as Auru brought up the cannon once more and fired a single shot at the Darknuts. The ball scored a direct hit on one of the Darknuts and blew the Darknut apart when it exploded. The explosion also sent the second Darknut flying towards the wall. The massive armored soldier fell to the floor in a heap, missing several pieces of armor. Before the soldier could get up and attack again, though, Link pulled out the Master Sword and performed an Ending Blow on him, stabbing the soldier in the head, causing it to explode into orange flame and what looked to be woodchips. It did not take Zelda and the others long to clear the rest of the hallway, the only denizens being a band of Purple Bokoblins.

Once the hall was cleared, Zelda took 'The Group' aside and told them, "Auru, you, and 'The Group' take a dozen Knights and clear out the west side of the castle. We'll take the east side. We'll meet at the main tower's throne room."

Auru nodded and he took 'The Group' and a dozen Knights to clear the west portion of the castle. Zelda, Link, and the remaining Knights all went through the door that would take them to the eastern walls.

The group emerged out onto the eastern walls to find them occupied by Moblins, Darknuts, and even a couple of Aeralfos. Taking out a couple of Bomblings, he placed them on the ground and let them skitter towards the enemy force. His primary targets were the Moblins. The Knights of Hyrule, meanwhile, targeted the lightly armored Aeralfos, and Zelda went to deal with the Darknuts. Zelda fired a stream of ice at the lead Darknut and froze him solid. Link's Bomblings struck the lead Moblins and detonated, the explosions practically disintegrating the Moblins, with the blast wave slamming into others and either killing them outright or sending them flying, some of them over the wall and into the courtyard below. Link quickly deployed more Bomblings to deal with the monsters that were rising from their posts to engage him. These consisted of Bulblin archers and even more Moblins. A series of explosions later and the Moblin and Bulblin archer threat was neutralized. Once the Moblins were dealt with, he looked to see if any of the others needed his help.

Zelda had been more than holding her own against the Darknuts, freezing the first one with a stream of ice. The explosions from Link's first volley of Bomblings had actually managed to knock the Darknut over and shatter the hapless creature. Zelda's next move was to teleport into the middle of a Darknut formation and curl her arms around herself before spreading them out and forming a massive expanding dome of fire around her. The Darknuts' shields were of no use in protecting them from her Din's Fire spell as it incinerated the armored soldiers.

Meanwhile, the Knights of Hyrule had received the easiest task, relatively speaking, in dealing with the few Aeralfos that were present before they took to the sky and became a threat. One of the Aeralfos was taken down before even being able to spread its wings and take off. Another was killed by a volley of arrows that managed to get past its defenses, its shield deflecting several arrows before on slipped through and struck him on the right side of the lizard-like creature's torso. The creature gave a cry as it dropped its shield and sword and several more arrows finished the job. Two of the creatures managed to take to the air, though, and went to dive-bomb the Knights. The archer Knights, though, had already notched arrows to their bowstrings and pulled back on them. They unleashed a shower of arrows upon the dive-bombing Aeralfos and managed to take down one of them, an arrow finding a small hole in the lizard-like creature's defenses, the creature falling down to the courtyard below. The other Aeralfos, however, managed to make it through the assault and was about to take down the lead Knight when a claw struck the creature in the back. The chain that the claw was attached to drew the creature towards Link, who promptly beheaded the Aeralfos with a single swipe of his sword. The Knights looked over to him and gave him a nod, which Link returned.

Once the walls were cleared, Zelda led Link and the Knights up to the doors to the main tower's second floor. Once she approached the doors, she directed six Knights to remain out on the walls to secure them and to report to her if any other enemies arrived at the castle to bolster its defenses against their attack. Once she and the others were ready, they made their way into the castle.

Inside the main tower, Zelda led the group across the checked floor trap room. She was followed by Link, who knew where to go from his previous treks through the room. Bringing up the rear were the rest of the Knights. They carefully followed Link and Zelda, making sure that they did not trip a trap and fall into the abyss below. Fortunately, none of the soldiers fell and when they had made their way to the stairwell, all were present and accounted for.

When they came to the stairwell, they looked to the top and were met by a stream of arrows. The Knights raised their shields and the arrows bounced off of the metal shields. Link quickly took out his own bow and readied an arrow. He returned fire and felled a Gerudo archer with a precise shot that struck her right between the eyes. He ducked out of the way of another arrow as one of the Knights soon let fly with an arrow of his. The arrow felled the second Gerudo, clearing the stairwell.

The group made their way up the stairwell and were met by two more Darknuts. Zelda took care of the Darknuts as she chanted in an unknown language and waved her arms around for a second before pointing at the Darknuts. Immediately, a column of flame rose from the ground, stretching all the way up to the ceiling, and incinerated the Darknuts. The armored soldiers did not have a chance as their metal swords, shields, and armor melted, and their flesh, assuming they had any, was incinerated. Soon, all that was left was ash. The group made their way past the scene and up to the second stairwell.

When they reached this stairwell, they were met by a quartet of Bulblin archers, who promptly fired on the group, forcing them to duck back behind the wall next to the staircase. Link motioned to the others that he would deal with this threat. He quickly tied a bomb to an arrow, lit it, notched the Bomb Arrow to his bow, and then pulled back on the string. Peering out around the corner, he found the Bulblins and fired his arrow at their feet. The arrow struck the ground and detonated, the explosion sending the Bulblins, or what was left of them, flying through the air. Once the Bulblins had been dealt with, the group made their way up the stairwell. Once they reached its top, they turned and found a third stairwell. This one had four Dynalfos guarding it. Link and the Knights quickly drew arrows from their quivers and fired them at the four Dynalfos. The arrows struck true but only two of the Dynalfos fell, for the other two had taken cover behind their comrades. Once the first two Dynalfos had fallen, the trailing pair drew their swords and charged towards Link and the Knights. Motioning for Zelda to stay behind them, Link and the Knights charged into the fray, their swords drawn. Link made quick work of his Dynalfos, ducking underneath the initial swing and stabbing his blade into the bipedal lizard-like creature's heart. Looking over to his right, he saw that the sheer number of Knights had been too much for the remaining Dynalfos. They felled the beast without suffering any casualties in return.

With the stairwell cleared, the group made their way to the top and found themselves in a familiar hallway with a large door on the left. This room was devoid of any enemies. Still, Link and Zelda knew what was going on. She signaled for two of the Knights to remain by the door and to keep guard of the area and to report to her if anything was amiss. Once that was finished, she, Link, and the rest of the Knights made their way through the door and outside to the stairs that would take them to the throne room.

Once they reached the exterior of the castle, they found the first section of stairs to be guarded by a dozen Gerudos, all of whom came down charging towards them. Link and the Knights drew their bows and fired a volley of arrows into the Gerudos. Six Gerudos were felled by the arrows, while the others either avoided the arrows through deft maneuvers, or used their scimitar-like swords to bat the arrows away. Link, however, was ready for this and he took out a Deku Nut and tossed it at the surviving Gerudos. The Gerudos, taken off guard by his tactics, tried to look away before the nut exploded but most of them were too slow. The nut exploded and emitted a brilliant flash of light and a loud crack. The stunned Gerudos fumbled around the ground, one of them tripping and tumbling down the stairs, breaking her head as she fell. Three others were simply cut down by the Knights, but two had managed to cover their eyes and were still able to fight. That did not save one of them, though, as Link quickly rushed her and stabbed her in the heart, killing her. The second, Gerudo, though, was able to retaliate and she slashed at Link, forcing the hero to catch her attack on his shield. She was then dealt with by a Knight, who came to help the hero deal with the Gerudo by stabbing her in the torso, killing her.

Once the Gerudos had been dealt with, they made their way up the first set of stairs, turned, and ascended the next set of stairs. Once they reached the top, they were met by two Gerudo archers, who had drawn beads on them and fired. Link raised his shield, the Gerudos' arrows bouncing off of his Hylian Shield. Zelda quickly dealt with the Gerudos by unleashing a blast of fire that incinerated the two thieves.

With the Gerudos out of the way, the path to the throne room was clear. Still, Zelda did not want anyone to follow them, so once she was ready to go and assist Link in facing down whoever was in the throne room, likely Twinrova, she told the Hyrulean Knights, "Four of you remain out here and secure the path. The rest of you go and help Auru and the others should they need it. Link and I will deal with the threat inside the throne room."

"Yes, ma'am," the Knights responded, saluting. Four of the Knights then took up positions outside the throne room while the others retraced their steps through the castle to search for Auru and his group and assist them should they need it.

After that was accomplished, Link and Zelda then took a deep breath and walked into the throne room. As they did so, Link noticed his Triforce mark glowing, all three of the triangles being filled in. He did not know if it would help him in the upcoming battle, but he had a good feeling about the upcoming fight.

The two walked into the throne room and saw two old women riding broomsticks hovering in the air, cackling as Link and Zelda approached. "Look at this, two young Hylians have come to see us," Koume cackled to Kotake.

"Yes, these children have come to their death," Kotake cackled in response.

"Now our master shall be avenged!" both witches cried as they began to fly around each other on their broomsticks. Their circles became tighter and tighter until they formed a ball of fire and ice that was mixed together. After a few seconds, a young looking woman with green skin, wearing a black dress, baggy white pants, and with fire and ice for hair emerged from the ball and looked down at the two. The woman also looked to be very thin, though the outlines of muscles were also visible. The woman also held two wands, one in each hand. The wand in her right hand had fire for a head while the wand in her left hand had ice for a head. Both Link and Zelda recoiled in shock at the sudden appearance of the young woman.

"What are you?" Zelda gasped as she took a step back.

The woman simply smiled and answered, "My name is Twinrova. I am a fusion of Koume and Kotake, and a servant of the Great Lord Ganondorf. You shall suffer greatly for your defeat of my master before you die."

Zelda glared at her as she drew her Light Bow and ready a Light Arrow. Twinrova soon jumped into the air and hovered above them, out of reach of Link's blade. Link immediately drew his bow and readied an arrow. Drawing a bead on the woman, he unleashed an arrow on her. She simply raised a shield of ice and allowed the arrow to bounce off of it, which it did. Zelda was the next to open fire on Twinrova. She charged a Light Arrow and unleashed it upon Twinrova. Twinrova moved to one side and managed to avoid taking a hit from the Light Arrow. However, while Zelda had fired her Light Arrow on the sorceress, Link had readied a Bomb Arrow and was taking aim at Twinrova. He pulled back on his bowstring and once he had a bead on her, he let fly with the Bomb Arrow. The Bomb Arrow scored a direct hit on Twinrova and exploded, causing her to recoil in surprise. The explosion did not inflict much damage on her, but it did annoy her, and she glared down at Link. Soon, she pointed her right wand down at him and a blast of flame came down upon him. He ran to the side and allowed the stream of fire to strike the bridge and expand into a circle of death as he fled the expanding fiery ring. After it reached a radius of five meters, the ring stopped expanding and he waited as Twinrova had drawn another bead on him. This time, though, Link wanted to try something. He drew an arrow from his quiver and notched it to his bow, pulling back the string as Twinrova unleashed a second blast of flame. As soon as it was launched, he fired his arrow into the flame, knowing that the arrowhead would catch on fire. Sure enough, it did and it and as he fled from the blast radius of the fire, he saw that the now flaming arrow struck Twinrova and stuck in her chest. She gave a cry as her magical fire burned her and the arrow bit into her dress and even into her flesh. Still, it was not enough to end her threat. However, it left her open to an attack from Zelda.

Zelda immediately powered a blast of ice and unleashed it upon Twinrova. The witch attempted to counter with a blast of fire but Zelda's blast of ice was too fast. It scored a direct hit on Twinrova and a sheet of ice began to form around her. As it formed, she began to fall from the air, to the bridge. Her descent was controlled, at first, but as the ice expanded more and more, her descent quickened and eventually, she simply fell to the ground, stunned, the ice shattering as she hit the ground before it could engulf her entirely. This was Link's chance to get in and inflict some real damage to Twinrova. He rushed to her and slashed at her repeatedly. The magically enhanced durability of Twinrova prevented each individual hit from being fatal, but the accumulation of hits would be troublesome.

She eventually managed to recover enough for her to jump away and try to attack Link once more. She lowered her left wand and went to unleash a blast of ice towards the Hylian hero. Zelda, however, appeared in front of Link and gripped Link as she cast Din's Fire around him. A dome of fire surrounded the two of them and functioned as a shield against the ice blast of the Gerudo sorceress. The ice blast struck the globe of Din's Fire and immediately dissipated into a blast of steam and water. Zelda took this opportunity to use her magic to find Twinrova and unleash a stream of magical fire upon the Gerudo sorceress. Twinrova tried to raise a shield of ice but the ice magic was weak to Zelda's fire, which was powered up by her Triforce of Wisdom. The stream of flame struck Twinrova's ice shield and immediately began to melt its way through. Cracks formed at the point of impact and began to expand throughout the shield. After a few more seconds, the stream of flame pierced the ice shield and struck Twinrova directly. Once again, Twinrova fell to the ground, this time trailing smoke and flames.

As she hit the ground, Link rushed over to her and began slashing her with his sword once more. Each hit inflicted relatively minor damage, but each successive hit was beginning to add up. She attempted to use her wands to block Link's strikes but the hero was too fast and precise in his attacks. His final hit was a thrust that struck Twinrova in the shoulder. He had been aiming for the witch's heart but she had managed to move out of the way enough that it only stuck in her shoulder. Still, the hit was bad and with the damage suffered from the other cuts inflicted on her, Twinrova knew that another hit would be fatal.

She backed away from the duo, a look of hate and rage framing her face. How could she lose this badly to them? How could her fused form be so weak? She was about to launch another series of attacks when she began to feel something stirring inside of her. She felt a faint outline of a crack form down the center of her body. Her eyes went wide with shock as she felt herself barely able to hold together. "Oh no," she muttered to herself. "If I continue this fight, I could die and if I die, Ganondorf's descendant will not have a teacher to guide him along his path."

She considered her options. If she stayed, she would be jeopardizing the safety of his offspring, for she knew that Aveil alone would not be enough to protect the child from the other Gerudos or the people of Hyrule. In addition, if she split back into Koume and Kotake in this state, they could die. However, if she fled this, then Link and Zelda both would still be alive and reclaim Hyrule and try to finish what they started. In the end, she felt that it was her duty to preserve her master's legacy and make sure that he would get his revenge, one way or the other. With that realization, she backed away a few steps, holding her injured shoulder, and then disappeared in a flash of fire and ice, leaving Link and Zelda alone in the throne room.

Zelda turned to face Link and told him, "It looks like it's over. Twinrova is badly injured and had to flee. Chances are that the others will have cleared the castle. We should be able to handle things from here."

"It's not over yet," Link said absently. "Twinrova almost certainly went to the Gerudo Desert."

"We can manage here," Zelda told him. "Go. Do what you must. Get the Mirror Shield make your wish. Save the Twili."

Link nodded and then retreated from the throne room, leaving Zelda alone with her thoughts. Less than a minute later, she saw Auru, Ashei, Rusl, and Shad walking into the throne room followed by two Hyrulean Knights. Zelda went over to greet them and said, "Your report?"

"We've cleared the west wing of the castle and the walls. We counted more than a hundred enemy soldiers in the castle. Enemy losses were total. Casualties for us were null. We only had a few minor scratches and bruises."

"Good," Zelda said, her relief evident in her voice.

"My queen, we saw Link running back down the tower when we came to meet you," Rusl said. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes," Zelda answered, nodding. "He is going to the Gerudo Desert to get the Mirror Shield and to go to the Twilight Realm." She then looked sternly at the others. She told the Knights behind 'The Group', Knights, gather the others and secure the castle."

"Yes, ma'am," the Knights answered.

Zelda then looked at 'The Group' and told them, "All of you, go to the armory and equip yourselves accordingly. Report back to me within an hour." She then turned to Auru and told him, "Tell the stable managers to ready some horses."

"Yes, my queen," Auru answered, bowing.

"Where are we going?" Shad asked.

"We're going to the Gerudo Desert, to the Arbiter's Grounds," Zelda answered. "We're going to help Link on his quest if at all possible."


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17:

While Zelda and her forces had remained at Hyrule Castle to secure it, Link rode down to the entrance to the Gerudo Desert. He checked his inventory as he neared the desert, just to make sure that he had not forgotten anything when he had gone to Malo Mart Castle Town Branch and later to Barnes' Bomb Shop in Kakariko Village. Checking the contents of his bottles, he had one Great Fairy's Tears, one Rare Chu Jelly, two Red Potions, and some Lantern Oil. He also had full supplies of Deku Nuts, Bombs, Water Bombs, Bomblings, Bombchus, and arrows. The ride had been relatively peaceful with only a few Lizalfos to deal with, which had not been a problem for Link at all since they lacked ranged weaponry and he was able to simply ride past them. The few that were foolish enough to try to fight him were quickly cut down with single swings from the Master Sword.

It took Link five hours to reach the small road that led to the Gerudo Desert just north of Lake Hylia. When he arrived, he saw a small caravan of what looked to be Gerudos traveling through the tight entrance to the desert. From what he could tell, the entrance was small and did not look to be very stable, either. An explosion close to one of the walls may well have been powerful enough to collapse the entrance and cut off the Gerudo Desert from the rest of Hyrule once more. In addition, the small entrance was also a great chokepoint so it would be difficult for an invading force to invade the desert and if the Gerudos that were traveling through were enemies of Hyrule and its peoples, there were likely sentries to make sure that no one else managed to make it through undetected. As such, he decided to wait for a while after the caravan made its way through the tight entrance before he would make his own way through.

He soon pulled Epona to the side of the road and dismounted her. Once he had dismounted her, he told her, "This is where we must part ways. There is a chance that I will not be coming back to Hyrule, if I survive this mission at all. As such, I want you to go back to Ilia in Ordon Village. She will take care of you." Before he went to send Epona back to Ordon Village, though, he sat down and pulled out a small sheet of parchment. He then wrote a message on it for all of his friends back in Ordon Village. It explained where he was going and why he was going there, as well as the possibility of him not returning from the mission. Once he was finished, he attached it to the reins of Epona and told her, "It's time for you to go back to Ordon Village. Go to Ilia and wait for her in the village. If something happens along the way, visit Ordona in Ordon Spring. The water there will heal you."

Epona gave a small rumble and rubbed her head against him. Link pet her once more and said, "I know. Inwardly, I hope that I will be able to return. However, if I am unable to do so, at least we both can rest assured that Ilia and the others will take good care of you. Now go. You don't want to be spotted by any Kargaroks as you head back to the village."

Epona gave a soft neigh and then proceeded to make her way back to the village. At first, her gate was slow but it eventually picked up speed and after a few moments, she was at full gallop as she left the half Hylian hero's sight. Once she was out of sight, Link turned and made his way towards the entrance to the desert, waiting a half hour after the caravan had made its way into the desert.

As soon as the half hour had passed and he was certain that not only were there no more Gerudo caravans in the desert, but that the likelihood of there being a large number of Gerudo sentries guarding the entrance to the desert was smaller, he made his way in on foot, doing his best to look like a wandering traveler, rather than a hero. He knew that his green clothes would cause him to stand out, but he that was a risk that he would have to take.

He made his way down to towards the entrance of the desert and scanned the cliff wall for any signs of sentries that may have been perched on ledges or small caves inside the rock on Hyrule Field's side of the wall. When he was certain that there were none, he carefully made his way through on the narrow road, looking at all rock outcroppings and readying his shield just in case he had to intercept an attack. So far, though, there had been no sightings of any Gerudos or any other enemies, for that matter. Still, he would not let his guard down, for he knew how dangerous Ganondorf was. If any of the other Gerudos had his skills and/or abilities, or anything close to them, then they would be formidable indeed.

As he made his way into the Gerudo Desert, he quickly scanned the area in front of him and found that there were no enemies in his field of vision. He quickly turned around to see if there were any sentries waiting on the wall and, sure enough, he spotted two Gerudo archers. They were wearing purple pants with purple tops that only covered their chests, leaving their midriffs bare. They also wore purple masks over their faces. Each of the sentries was armed with what looked to be a longbow. Link quickly drew his own bow and notched an arrow to it. He pulled back on the string and let fly at the closest archer. His aim was true and his arrow pierced the Gerudo in the heart. The thief did not let out a cry as she slumped over, dropping her bow and her arrows, and fell off of the wall.

Link immediately danced away from the spot he was occupying when an arrow streaked down from the second Gerudo sentry. He then drew another arrow and targeted the second sentry. He let fly with his second arrow and scored a direct hit on the sentry in the chest. The sentry fell backwards on the ledge and disappeared from Link's view. Once he was finished with the first two sentries, two more emerged from other ledges and rained arrows down upon him as well. He calmly notched an arrow to his bow and pulled back on the string, targeting the closest of the two sentries. He let fly with the arrow and did not watch to see his arrow score a hit on the Gerudo archer. With the same precision and calm demeanor, he targeted the last sentry and took her down with another arrow shot. Before continuing along the path, though, Link watched to see if any more sentries emerged from cover. When he saw none, he decided that he could move safely through the desert and proceeded further into the sandy wasteland, searching for any stone structure or temple, besides the Arbiter's Grounds, that could be a hideout for the Gerudos.

While he did not find a fortress as he walked, he _did_ manage to catch a Gerudo patrol coming towards him. Seeing this as a good opportunity to find their fortress, he remained out of sight and followed the band of female thieves as they continued on their patrol. He carefully followed them along their route, being careful to remain out of sight so they would not raise any alarm at his presence. Eventually, after following them for what seemed to be forever, they eventually led him to a stone building with numerous windows and levels. It looked almost as if it consisted of multiple buildings built on top of one another. He did not stop to admire the architecture as he looked forward and spied several Gerudos patrolling the base, as well as standing lookout on the roofs of the fortress.

He stopped in his tracks and made it look like he was searching for something else and moved to his left, and feigned continuing on another search. However, he was careful to make sure that he was never too far away from the Gerudo fortress. After about a half hour of wandering, he noticed that there appeared to be a shift change that he could take advantage of. He then rushed towards the base and saw that there were only two sentries that were guarding the base were on the ground level. He also noticed several crates conveniently placed on the ground that he could hide behind. Seeing this as a perfect opportunity, he rushed towards one of the crates as the Gerudos' backs were turned and ducked down. He then drew his Clawshot and fired it at the lead Gerudo. The Clawshot's claw leapt out of the launcher on a chain and grabbed the Gerudo, sticking its claws into her torso, and dragged her over to the crate. There, Link struck the Gerudo thief on the back of the head, rendering her unconscious, and deposited her body behind the crate so she would not be found for some time, hopefully not until after Link had finished raiding the base and gaining hold of the Mirror Shield. He also hoped that she would not awaken for a while, either. He had contemplated killing her, but he decided against it since killing her was not necessary at this time.

He then went over to another crate when the other Gerudo sentry was not looking and ducked behind it. He then did the same thing to this sentry that he did to the other, firing his Clawshot and grabbing the Gerudo in the back and dragging her to him. The claws dug into her back and she tried to scream but the shock of the attack silenced her. Once she was dragged behind the crate, Link silenced her with a knock to the head so that she would not be able to alert the other Gerudos to his presence for a long time. Once the way was clear, he emerged from his cover and proceeded to make his way towards the base. As he neared it, he could not help but sense that there was evil inside the base. Then, without hesitation, he made his way into the base.

The interior of the Gerudo fortress consisted of a series of relatively narrow corridors. In one of the corridors, he spied a Gerudo sentry armed with a halberd patrolling the corridor. He took out a Deku Nut and tossed it right in front of her. The crack and the flash of light blinded her and stunned her, causing her to fall to the ground. Taking advantage of her stunned state, Link rushed past her and down the next corridor, which had a series of crates that he could hide behind. He ducked behind them and waited for the next sentry to come. He remained crouched behind the crate for more several minutes but did not see any Gerudos come out to patrol the area. Seeing this as an opportunity, he emerged from his cover and proceeded down the corridor. After walking a little bit, he found another corridor. He peered around the corner and saw that to the right was an exit to the base, while to the left was another corridor. He ducked back into the previous corridor as he heard the sound of footsteps coming towards him. He looked for a crate to hide behind and found one not too far away. He went over and ducked behind it. Sure enough, a Gerudo sentry came out to scan the corridor. Once she reached the end of the corridor, she stopped and looked around, almost as if she sensed that someone other than a Gerudo was present in the fortress. She continued to look around for a few minutes until she must have figured that she was hearing things. She then turned around and continued on her patrol.

Link emerged from his cover and took out a Deku Nut. He then went into the other corridor and proceeded to make his way down the corridor and toss the Deku Nut towards the Gerudo. Just as he tossed the nut, he saw a second Gerudo look straight at him, located very close to the other. She went to blow a whistle as she began to charge him but the nut hit the ground just beside her and detonated in a blinding flash of light and a loud crack. The nut's detonation stunned her and her comrade and they fell to the ground. Link then went up to each of them and hit them both on the head to make sure that they would stay down for a while longer. Once he had dealt with them, he proceeded to make his way down the corridor and into what looked to be a storage room.

When he arrived in the room, he peered inside and saw two Gerudo sentries sitting in the room, talking to each other. The room was full of crates and even a few treasure chests. Thinking that if he could listen in on their conversation, that he could glean some valuable intelligence on the locations of the treasures inside the fortress, he hid behind the opening and listened as the guards talked to each other.

"Did you hear about that Hylian boy that was said to have fought the great lord Ganondorf?" one of the guards asked.

"Yeah," the other responded. "I heard that he actually killed him."

"That has yet to be confirmed," the first guard stated guardedly. It was evident that the first guard was concerned that the worst had happened.

"Well, we haven't heard anything from Ganondorf, Twinrova and Aveil are basically in hiding and the forces and allies we left at Hyrule Castle have all been destroyed. Some eyewitnesses indicate that Twinrova was wounded before she split back into Koume and Kotake. If that doesn't scream that something's wrong, I don't know what does."

"I have to admit you've got a point, there," the first guard admitted. Still, she held out hope that Ganondorf was not dead. She then looked over to the second guard and asked, "So what will happen if Ganondorf was, indeed, killed by this hero?"

"We will take it out on him, his friends, and his family," the second answered. "Anyone who dares to fight and somehow kill the great lord Ganondorf must be destroyed."

"And how do you suppose we do that? Ganondorf was said to be unkillable. A curse that was placed on him prevented him from permanently dying and yet, this hero managed to do just that!"

"Keep your voice down," the second guard cautioned. "We don't want Aveil or the Sorceress Sisters to hear us since they have yet to make the announcement. Anyway, we have a job to do here. We can't let anyone get a hold of the Magic Arrows. Why they had the Magic Arrows moved from the Training Ground, I'll never know."

"Yeah," the first guard echoed. "Especially after we recently acquired them and brought the Mirror Shield here. Not only that, but the Magic Arrows are just a few rooms over in the second storage area. The only treasure that is properly guarded is the Mirror Shield in the main hall where Aveil is currently talking with the guild leaders. The last thing we need is for some treasure hunter or some greedy thief, other than ourselves, to raid this place and steal those treasures. Without them, we'll be vulnerable to the rebels' raids, especially if something were to happen to Aveil or Twinrova."

The second guard nodded and they soon resumed their patrol. "At least one has to have magic in order to use the Magic Arrows," the guard added casually.

Link could scarcely believe his luck. The Gerudos had just told him exactly where each of the treasures he needed in order to complete his mission were located. And it appeared as if one of the treasures, the Magic Arrows, was located in this very room. Not wasting any time, he made grabbed two Deku Nuts and proceeded to run into the room. The Gerudo sentries turned at the sound of his entrance but before they could identify the intruder, Link tossed his Deku Nuts at them and the flashes emitted by the nuts when they hit the ground and cracked open stunned the guards. The now blinded guards reflexively covered their eyes and did not see Link hit them on the side of the head as he knocked them unconscious.

Once the guards were down, he went to examine the room in more detail. There were several benches and even couple of tables. The tables had food and drinks arrayed on it. There was nothing there that Link wanted. Next, he went to examine the four small treasure chests and the large one in the center of the room. He went to the center chest first, taking its ornate gold and blue design to mean that it held something important. Still, in order to not be caught off guard, he put on his Magic Armor, an ornate red and gold suit of armor that made him invulnerable to attack at the expense of his Rupees: about two Rupees per second and twelve Rupees when hit by an enemy attack. He went over to the chest and opened it. A light shown forth from the chest but there were no traps inside that Link could see. It would not have mattered anyway since he had equipped his Magic Armor. He reached in and pulled out the chest's contents. Inside the chest was an arrow, that had a normal shaft, but the head was surrounded by a reddish orange crystal that indicated that the arrow Link was holding was a Fire Arrow. While he did not know how useful Fire Arrows would be against the Magic Lords, but he figured that they could be of use against the Gerudos if they had any volatile stores. He kept the arrow and readied his bow.

Once he was finished examining the arrow, he looked around and went over to the other chests. He opened the first one and found a series of Rupees of various denominations. There were enough of the jewels inside the chest to fill his wallet to capacity. After he did just that, he closed the chest and went over to the next one. Upon opening this chest, he found a bundle of arrows, which he used to fill his quiver until it was at maximum capacity. He then placed the remainder of the arrows on the ground, for he had plans for them in the not too distant future. The next chest he opened contained a sack full of Deku Nuts. There were forty nuts in the sack and Link quickly took it, not wanting to put the nuts to waste. He clipped it to his belt and proceeded to make his way to the final chest in the room. He opened it and found a supply of bombs inside. He collected the bombs he needed in order to fill his Bomb Bags. Once he was finished, he removed his Magic Armor and put it back inside his Strange Sack.

He was about to leave the area when he looked around at the area and a thought came to his mind. These Gerudos were servants of Ganondorf and they had enough weapons and munitions in this storage room to supply a small army. He could not leave such a large cache of weapons in the hands of those who wished to inflict harm to Hyrule. As such, he laid out the bombs along the floor, close to the treasure chests and the crates that lined the room. He then lit the bombs and left the room through an exit that would take him to another part of the base. His hope was that the explosions generated by the bombs would not only destroy the munitions in the room, but also distract the Gerudos from his true target, which would be the Mirror Shield.

As he exited the room, he charged down the corridor, making sure to keep a couple of Deku Nuts in his hands just in case he came across any sentries. After a few seconds, a series of explosions rocked the fortress and he felt the floor and walls shake. He staggered to the side and had to steady himself against the walls in order to keep himself from falling to the ground. As soon as the explosions had stopped, he heard a series of voices coming from another corridor. He rushed down the corridor that he was already in and found it to be unoccupied, with the voices trailing off the farther away from the room he got. Eventually, he came to another corridor and turned to his left.

When he entered the other corridor, he found a Gerudo sentry armed with a halberd. As soon as she spotted him, she held up a whistle and was about to blow into it but Link was faster and was able to stop her, stabbing her in the leg with the Master Sword. The Gerudo's face was frozen in shock as she fell to the ground, and simply died, something that surprised Link for a second but then simply caused him to sigh. He did not like killing the Gerudo, but he knew that she was a danger, and the fact that the Gerudo had died instantly to a leg wound, one that should not have been fatal in the least, indicated to him that the Gerudo had been evil. Without any further hesitation, he proceeded to make his way down the corridor. As he went down the corridor, he came across another storage room. Seeing that it might have some supplies and weapons that he could use, he decided to check it out.

This storage room looked almost identical to the one that he had destroyed just a few moments earlier. This one, however, was guarded by four Gerudo sentries. Link began the fight by tossing in two Deku Nuts, one between each pair of guards. The nuts hit the ground close to the Gerudos and detonated, emitting a loud crack and a blinding flash of light. Link then proceeded to hit them on the side of the head, knocking them unconscious, neutralizing their threat.

As soon as he had neutralized the Gerudos, he scanned the room. This room appeared to be an armory, for there were racks of scimitar-like swords, shields, halberds, bows, and arrows. Crates were also scattered throughout the room, along with kegs that looked to be full of gunpowder. Focusing on the center of the room, Link found a large blue and gold ornate treasure chest, the same as it had been in the last room. Also, just like in the storage area, he found four smaller treasure chests surrounding the larger chest. He went over to the large chest and before opening it, put on his Magic Armor, not wanting to be caught unawares by any traps that may have been placed on the chests. He opened the chest and there was no trap activated. He the reached inside the chest and pulled out its contents. Inside was a single Gold Rupee, something that he found surprising for such an ornate chest.

Once he had obtained the Rupee, he proceeded to make his way over to the other chests and open them. The first chest had a supply of arrows that he used to fill the rest of his quiver. The second chest he opened had a series of arrows with blunt arrowheads that looked like they contained explosives. They did not look to be as powerful as normal Bomb Arrows, but Link still would not have wanted to be hit by one of these explosive arrows, or close to their targets when they hit. He then placed the Explosive Arrows in his quiver to fill it out since he felt that having arrows ready to explode could be useful against enemies that had armor and would not give him time to ready a Bomb Arrow. He then went over and opened the third chest and found a packet of bombs. These bombs were the normal kind and it looked as if there were strings that looked to be able to tie the bombs to arrows to make the more traditional Bomb Arrows. He gathered each of the bombs and placed them next to a weapons rack or a crate. After he had placed the bombs in their designated areas, he opened the fourth chest and found a piece of paper. The paper contained a map of the fortress, along with an X, marking the spot where he was located. The map had a path that led straight to the main chamber where the Mirror Shield was being held. As soon as Link had gotten the map, he took off the Magic Armor and went around the room to scavenge every last item and bit of weaponry that he could before he set off the bombs and the stores of gunpowder in the room. As he did so, he got enough Rupees to refill his wallets as well as filling out his supply of Deku Nuts as well.

Once he was fully restocked, he made his way over to a table that had some sticks on it. He grabbed a few sticks and went over to the torch nearest to the bombs to light them. Once the sticks were lit, he went over to the bombs and lit each one individually. He then readied the Fire Arrow and notched it to his bow. He took aim at one of the gunpowder crates and fired. The arrow stuck in the crate and Link ran, knowing that the crate would soon explode and start a chain reaction. Once the crate was set ablaze and the bombs were lit, he fled the room, making a quick check of the map to see where the exit that would take him to the chamber that contained the Mirror Shield was located. Once he found the path, he went up a series of steps and fled down the corridor, gripping his Gale Boomerang in order to use it against any Gerudo that came upon him. As he fled down the corridor, he felt the fortress shake as the bombs exploded and set off the stores of gunpowder in the armory.

He steadied himself against the wall as the fortress shook from the series of explosions. After the explosions had stopped, he could hear the voices of several Gerudos barking orders as well as the footfalls of the Gerudos that were heading towards the armory in order to stop the fire. Link did not care about what happened with the armory and if they managed to limit the spread of the fire. His only goal was to get the Mirror Shield and do enough damage to their ability to make war that they would not be able to launch a serious attack against Hyrule.

He continued to follow the map as he walked down the corridor. So far, there were no Gerudos patrolling the area, either because of the fire in the armory or because of poor security protocols. He did not care, though. He was just glad that he would be able to get closer to the Mirror Shield without having to worry about facing down an army of Gerudos. As he got closer to the main hall, he carefully made his way down the corridors, making sure to stun or kill any Gerudo sentries that were in front of him.

Eventually, he made it to just outside the main hall. There was a stairwell to an upper floor that Link saw could house sentries. He went up the stairwell, meeting and stunning two sentries along the way. As soon as he reached the top, he spied two more sentries. He quickly dealt with them and then proceeded to make his way towards a small open window where he could look into the room.

The interior of the room was ornate and highly decorated. There were two large suits of armor that looked different than the armor worn by Darknuts, but were still intimidating. Link suspected that there was something different about these suits of armor. They did not look like they were placed in the room merely for decoration. Looking down at the room, he quickly spotted an ornate gold treasure chest. He figured that the chest had to be the one that contained the Mirror Shield. Not too far away from the chest, he saw a Gerudo woman wearing a red top and red pants. She clearly held a high rank among the Gerudos, for there was a plush, luxurious red sofa behind her and she was looking out across the room with her arms crossed as if she was in a state of displeasure. Scanning the room, Link saw several other guards, in addition to a few Gerudos that looked to be commanders since they wore different clothing from the sentries that had been guarding the fortress. He soon saw that the Gerudo leader was talking to the others and he strained to listen to what was being said.

"What? How did Queen Zelda manage to kill the soldiers holding Hyrule Castle? There were dozens of soldiers guarding it! And that's before the remnants of the Bulblins went to reinforce the guards there."

"Queen Zelda had some help," one of the Gerudo commanders answered. "Link and soldiers from a resistance group that had been founded during the Invasion of Twilight assisted Zelda in reclaiming the castle."

"How many losses did we sustain?" the leader asked.

"Our losses were total, Aveil," the commander responded sullenly. "It was a spy that reported on the retaking of the castle. That spy was a part of a patrol that saw the queen and several soldiers leaving the castle and heading out towards this desert."

"This is terrible!" Aveil exclaimed. "We're having enough trouble holding back raids by the rebels! We don't need to deal with the rest of Hyrule, too!"

"It's worse than that," one of the other commanders added.

"Care to elaborate?" Aveil asked sarcastically.

"There have been reports of an intruder inside the base. Four of our sentries stationed on the wall that overlooks the entrance to the Gerudo Desert have been killed, as have numerous guards inside the base. To make matters worse, our main storage room and the armory were raided and destroyed. Everything of worth in those two rooms was destroyed. We looked for any sign of the Rupees, magical arrows, bombs, etcetera that we were storing in those areas, but they were not there. They have either been destroyed or stolen."

"No!" the leader cried, unable to contain her rage. It took a few moments for her to calm down. Link and the others could hear her muttering, "Okay, okay. The loss of the supplies in the storage area isn't so bad. But the loss of the weapons in the armory, especially the magical arrows, along with the Rupees is. We needed the Rupees to pay the Bulblins to fight for us. Without them, we'll have to rely on the few Bokoblins we have left, which won't be many since Ganondorf is now dead and courage is returning to the soldiers of Hyrule."

"So the rumors of Ganondorf being killed are true?" a third commander asked.

Aveil looked down at the ground and it looked almost as if a tear formed in her eye. "The rumors are true. Ganondorf has fallen in battle against the Hero of Twilight."

The other four Gerudo commanders gasped. More than being without their king, the Gerudos were now without their strongest soldier and they knew now that they had an enemy that was capable of infiltrating their fortress and taking whatever he or she wanted.

"What are your orders, Aveil?" the fourth commander asked.

The commander's question broke her out of her reverie and she looked at her underlings. Eventually, she straightened up and answered, "Taking over Hyrule may be out of the question. We don't have the numbers, or the resources to do so. But we can still get our revenge on Link for the death of our king. We've still got enough supplies to launch a raid on Ordon Village, his hometown. The village is a Human village that is located outside of Hyrule proper. It consists of simple farmers with only one real warrior among them and since they are Humans, there might not be as many Hyrulean soldiers that will be willing to make the trek to help protect it, or free it. Destroying that village should be no problem."

"Are you sure?" the first commander asked. "Ordon Village _is_ outside of Hyrule proper. It's going to be a long trek across Hyrule Field to reach Ordona Province, let alone the village. And they say that the village is also protected by a Light Spirit."

"That won't be a problem," Aveil retorted. "Twinrova can deal with the Light Spirit easily enough. All we have to do is make it into the village. Once that's done, the slaughter can begin. And if you find anything of value in the village, take it." She then paused to consider something she had said, and soon said, "Forget what I just said. New plan. We'll take the village as our own. It's in a nice part of the continent so we should have access to plenty of resources and it will be a good base that we can launch our raids from since Faron Province is between it and Hyrule Field, giving us more options, plus greater essential resources like food and water. Yes," Aveil said slyly. "Ordon Village will be the perfect place for the first true Gerudo Village."

The other Gerudo commanders soon grinned and they began to talk strategy. As they were talking, Link listened to their plans. He quickly realized that he had to do more than just get the Mirror Shield. He had to weaken the Gerudos enough so that they could not launch their raid and capture of Ordon Village. However, he knew that to simply go charging into the Gerudo fortress's main hall would be suicide since they would be able to call in the rest of their forces in a heartbeat. He had to get the other Gerudos out of the room in order to claim the Mirror Shield and then destroy the room and its supplies. Even if he did not kill that many Gerudos, it would be difficult to conduct a raid if they had no weapons, food, or other supplies. To that end, he glanced around the large room and quickly spotted a series of beehives situated on the ceiling of the room. He grinned upon spotting them and he proceeded to pull out his slingshot. He placed a Deku seed bullet into the pocket and pulled back on the elastic bands. He then targeted the beehive that was closest to the Gerudos and fired the slingshot bullet at it. The seed struck the hive and knocked it off the ceiling, causing it to fall among the Gerudo leaders and right in front of Aveil.

As soon as the beehive struck the ground, it shattered and a large number of bees emerged from the hive and began swarming around the Gerudos and stinging them. Each of the Gerudos, Aveil included, screamed and flung their arms around their bodies in an attempt to scare away the insects as they swarmed around them. The Gerudos then fled the area as fast as possible, leaving the room completely unoccupied save for the two suits of armor.

Not one to take foolish chances, Link took out his bow, readied an explosive arrow and targeted one of the suits of armor. He pulled back on its string and then fired. The explosive arrow leapt from his bow and scored a direct hit on the suit of armor, exploding on impact. The explosion blew apart the suit of armor with one hit. He then targeted the second suit of armor and destroyed it, too, with a single explosive arrow. As soon as both suits were destroyed, Link rose from his position and went down the stairwell so he could enter the room and take the Mirror Shield. He arrived at the entrance to the room and saw that the lock on the door had vanished, allowing him unobstructed access to the room. He then simply pushed the door open and went on in.

As he entered the room, he still kept out his bow and arrow, stringing an explosive arrow to his bow, not wanting to use up any of his bombs just yet. He scanned the room to see if there were any enemies that were coming into the room after the Gerudos had left, or if there were any that had remained in the room despite the bee swarm that had just got finished stinging Aveil and the Gerudo leaders. He was almost surprised to find that there were no enemies to speak of in the room. As such, he quickly headed on over to the gold chest and opened it. A light shown forth from the chest and he reached inside to pull out the contents. Just as he had expected, the chest contained the Mirror Shield. It was a shield with a highly polished surface that had a red outline. Its shape was similar to that of a Hylian shield but its angles looked sharper. Its surface was shiny and it looked as if it was specifically designed to reflect light and magic.

As soon as he put the shield on his back and turned around, he was met by Aveil and the four Gerudo commanders who had been sent scrambling from the room. The Gerudos looked to be covered in numerous beestings and were all scowling at the hero.

"So the Hero of Light has found his way into the fortress, and takes it upon himself to steal the Mirror Shield and have the bees sting us as many times as possible," one of the Gerudo commanders seethed. Despite the pain she looked like she should have been in, she was still able to stand up straight. "Your thieving skills leave much to be desired."

"So this is the one who killed the great lord Ganondorf," Aveil seethed. "You will pay for killing my lover!" she cried as she and the others proceeded to draw twin scimitar-like blades and charge towards him.

Not one to waste time or mince words, Link immediately drew back his bowstring and let fly with an explosive arrow. He targeted the closest of the Gerudo leaders, who happened to be one of the commanders. He let fly with his arrow and the arrow sailed right at the Gerudo's chest. The Gerudo raised her swords in order to block the arrow and she slashed the arrow. However, immediately upon slashing the arrow, the arrow exploded and the Gerudo gave a cry as she was hit by the explosion, the blast sending her staggering a few feet backwards before she fell to the ground, burns covering much of her face and torso. Link did not know whether or not she was dead, and he did not care. He simply then went to deal with the other Gerudos.

Two more leaders quickly came to attack him, slashing at him with their swords. Not wanting to damage his Mirror Shield, he drew out his Hylian Shield and raised it, blocking the Gerudos' attacks. He then thrust out his shield and sent one of the female thieves staggering backwards. He then dove out of the way of a series of slashes from the second thief. Wasting no time, he performed a spin attack and sent out a red wave of energy that bisected both attacking Gerudo thieves. That left only Aveil and the final commander for Link to deal with.

Aveil and the final commander did not want to make things easy for Link, though, and they proceeded to charge him before he could draw another arrow. They performed a series of slashes on him but he managed to raise his shield and intercept the whole barrage of blows. He then thrust his shield forward and sent the Gerudo commander staggering backwards, giving himself some room for dealing with Aveil. Aveil took advantage of Link's attention being focused on her comrade to try to blindside Link with a slash aimed at taking off the hero's head. Link, however, saw her attack coming and ducked beneath her slash. He retaliated with a horizontal slash of his own, causing the Gerudo to retreat. Aveil was not quite fast enough, though, and Link was able to draw some blood, leaving a shallow cut across the Gerudo's chest. The commander attempted to attack Link but the hero simply drew his bow and an arrow and, casually drawing back on his bowstring, felled her with a single arrow. Now, it was only Link and a wounded Aveil.

Aveil looked at Link, holding her chest as she grunted. Link began to think that his sword may have bitten her more deeply than he realized, either that or the evil destroying properties of the blade were causing Aveil to have more trouble with the shallow cut than normal. Aveil tried to raise both of her swords but found herself unable to do so. She dropped one of them and pointed the other at Link, scowling and grunting before warning him, "It won't end here, Link. The legacy of Ganondorf will live on. There will come a day when you or one of your descendants will suffer for what you have done to my lord!" With that, she retreated from the room, fleeing down the corridor.

Link did not react to her cryptic warning and merely went to work raiding the main room for any supplies that he could use to replenish his arsenal. He rolled into a series of crates, revealing bombs, arrows, Bombchus, and even explosive arrows. There were also a couple of powder kegs in the room as well. Once he had gathered all of the weapons he needed, he went over to the powder kegs and the bombs and lit them. Once he had lit them, he fled the room as fast as he could, and rushed down the corridor, hoping to find the shortest route out of the Gerudo Fortress. He did not stop to see if the fires reached into the powder kegs and blew them up, for he did not want to join the rest of the fortress in fire when they did.

As he fled down a corridor, he saw two Gerudos, who quickly blew a whistle, alerting the others in the base that they had spotted the intruder, and charged towards him. Wasting no time, Link performed a spin attack as he rushed down the corridor, using the energy wave produced by the sword to fell the Gerudos. As soon as he came to a fork in the path, he turned to his left and found two more Gerudos coming at him. He charged one of them and felled her with a single swipe of the Master Sword. The second Gerudo thrust her halberd his way, prompting him to sidestep the stab and retaliate with a stab of his own. The thrust went straight through the Gerudo's heart and felled her. He then charged down the corridor until he saw a corridor with a ray of light shining down it from the right. As he charged towards the next corridor and turned to see the door leading out of the base, he heard, and felt, the first of the explosions from the bombs. He then ran even faster towards the door and emerged out on a roof to the base. He then ran off the roof and jumped to a lower roof, rolling as he hit the ground, and jumping off that roof, to the ground. He ignored the Gerudo sentries that were trying to apprehend him as he fled into the desert.

As soon as he hit the ground, the powder kegs inside the main room of the fortress went off and exploded. The ammunition stores inside the room also cooked off and detonated. Fires erupted not only in the room, but also in other areas of the base as well as the stone floor, ceiling, and walls were destroyed by the explosion. The Gerudos in the fortress quickly found floors giving way, with them falling through them, those that were not killed by the initial explosions. The Gerudos outside the base dove to the ground upon hearing the first of the large explosions and then turned to watch fires erupting from several windows. They quickly rose as they fled the base as stones were flung out from inside the base as several subsequent explosions were heard.

Aveil watched from the archery range as the Gerudo Fortress burned and parts of it collapsed entirely. While the archery range was still relatively intact and was out of the line of fire, she knew that the damage had been done. The fires, alone, would be a signal to the rebels that the Gerudos loyal to the great lord Ganondorf were vulnerable to attack and that they would draw the rebels like wolves to a gathering of unprotected sheep. The rebels would be eager to show Hyrule that they were not loyal to Ganondorf and there would be no better opportunity to do so than by finishing off a broken Gerudo thief band.

Sure enough, she soon heard the cries of an attacking force as Gerudo cavalry came rushing towards the Gerudo Fortress, firing arrows and cutting down the fleeing Gerudos. She seethed as she figured that there must have been a spy inside the base as the entire rebel force was closing in on the fortress as if they had merely been waiting for the signal to attack. It was not long before a few Gerudos came fleeing the scene and running up to her, their fear evident on their faces. "Mistress Aveil, there are too many of them and our forces are being slaughtered. What are we going to do?"

Seeing that there was no chance of victory, she answered, "We flee. We cannot win against this force right now. We must flee and hope that Twinrova finds us. With her, we should be able to retake the fortress, or build a new one, and reestablish our dominance over the rest of the Gerudos."

She then mounted a horse and fled deeper into the desert with the small group of followers and caretakers, careful to make sure that her child would not be in danger, she vowed that she would get revenge on Link, and if not on him, then on any and all of his descendants for this atrocity. With that vow, and her fists clenched in hatred, she rode away with a few followers, hopeful that she would be able to make good on her vow.

Meanwhile, Link had made his way from the fortress and did not stop to see it burn, and large sections of it come crashing down to the ground. He knew, though, that regardless of what happened to the base, that the Gerudos had been dealt a severe blow to any plans to raid Ordon Village, which was his intention. Now, all he had to do was cross the desert and reach the Arbiter's Grounds, which were barely within sight off in the distance at what looked to be several miles away. The building looked like a coliseum with six tall spires surrounding it. There was also a walkway and stairs leading to the entrance to the grounds that was surrounded by columns.

As Link made his way across the desert he encountered plant-like creatures called Leevers, which looked like green spinning tops with spikes on the side. They were easy to defeat, though, and single spin attacks took out entire swarms of the creatures. There were small rocks and outcroppings that Link could rest on as he traveled through the desert, but he rarely used them since the Leevers were not all that difficult for him to deal with. There were also a series of tents located throughout the desert, with some tents showing signs of activity. He even saw a few Gerudo warriors. These were dressed in pink tops and pants. They had a nobler stature about them and even at the distance from where he saw them, he could tell that they were a noble and honorable people, not the thieves and murderers that the Gerudos that he had known in the fortress were. The Gerudos simply smiled as he ran past their small tent village and headed towards the Arbiter's Grounds. A few of them gave him a thumbs up, almost as if they knew that he was the reason the Gerudos in the fortress were hurting as much as they were at the moment.

As he was rushing past the tents, though, one of the Gerudos intercepted him and cried, "Wait!"

Link stopped and saw the Gerudo running towards him. She had the normal pink top and pants that the Gerudos of the tents seemed to have, along with long orange hair, a hallmark of many of the Gerudos. "Hold up a second," she called to him.

"What is it?" Link asked.

"I take it you're going to the Arbiter's Grounds, right?" she asked.

Link nodded.

"Be careful," she cautioned. "Reports indicate that Twinrova, the sorceress sisters, Koume and Kotake, are at the Arbiter's Grounds, inside the Mirror Chamber. We built a lift that will take you up to the top floor of the grounds in order to make your trek a little easier, but don't underestimate the Twinrova. Koume uses fire magic and Kotake uses ice Magic. You'll be able to identify them by their fire and ice hair, respectively. Once they take enough damage, though, they can fuse into Twinrova, who can use both fire and ice spells. I can see you have the Mirror Shield so you should have a leg up on them. Be careful, though, you'll need to absorb three elemental spells of the same element in order to reflect the Twinrova's magic back at her and she'll often change up spells. They also have an area of effect so if you are trying to absorb three spells and one of a different element comes at you, get out of the area."

"Thanks for the heads up," Link responded. "I wish I could repay you in some way."

"Just clobber Twinrova for us if she's up there," the Gerudo answered. "They're the last link to Ganondorf. Without them, our tribe will finally be free of his curse once and for all."

Link gave a smile and nodded. He then ran towards the Arbiter's Ground as quickly as possible. All that stood in his way were a few Leevers, which he dealt with with contemptuous ease.

When Link reached top of the steps and saw the entrance to the Arbiter's Grounds, he did not stop to admire the architecture, for he had already been in the grounds once before. He just wanted to get to the Mirror Chamber, deal with Koume and Kotake, assuming they were up there, and then use the Triforce to repair the Mirror of Twilight and go to the Twilight Realm and help the people there.

When he entered the Arbiter's Grounds, he found himself in a familiar hallway that led to a larger sandy chamber. Right in front of him was suspicious-looking stone ledge on the ground. He felt as if it looked much like a lift that could take him to the Mirror Chamber. Remembering what the Gerudos had told him, he stepped on it and allowed it to carry him up to the Mirror Chamber without having to go through the entirety of the Arbiter's Grounds.

He watched as he was lifted up into the air. He was carried through a shaft that went dark for a while, until he saw a light at the top. The lift then carried him to the light and he soon found himself standing in the middle of the Mirror Chamber. The Mirror Chamber looked much like a coliseum with six pillars surrounding the chamber. There were symbols on top of the chamber that represented the sage of a certain element. One of the symbols, that of the Sage of Water, was destroyed, indicating the death of the Sage of Water during Ganondorf's last attempted execution and his banishment to the Twilight Realm. In the center of the chamber was a set of steps that led up to the location where the Mirror of Twilight used to be. He walked up the steps and onto the pedestal.

He proceeded to make his way towards the Mirror's frame when a ball of fire and a ball of ice appeared in front of him. Almost immediately after the balls appeared, the Gerudo sorceress sisters, Koume and Kotake emerged, spinning on their broomstick, looking no worse for the wear.

"Well, well, well, look who came to our base," Koume began.

"It's the one who slew the great lord Ganondorf," Kotake answered.

Link immediately drew the Master Sword and the Mirror Shield, preparing himself for the battle about to come. "He looks strong in close combat, but his ranged abilities are limited, and he is alone now," Koume stated confidently. "With my fire, I shall char him to the bone."

"And with my ice, I shall freeze him to the soul," Kotake echoed.

Each of the witches gave a piercing cackle as they flew around Link on their broomsticks. Koume began the battle by launching a stream of fire towards Link as Kotake flew too close to her, giving Link the perfect opportunity to attack using Koume's power. Link simply raised his Mirror Shield and blocked the stream of fire, causing it to be reflected into the air. Angling the shield towards Kotake, he reflected the fire onto the ice witch, causing her to cry out in pain as she took the hit. She quickly retaliated with a blast of ice towards Link. Again, Link hunkered down and allowed the blast to strike the Mirror Shield. Angling the shield towards Koume, who was doing her best to fly out of his viewing arc, he managed to tag her with the ice, prompting her to issue a cry of pain. The two witches, infuriated that Link was able to damage them, then threw caution to the wind and attacked him both at the same time and they fired a stream of fire and ice at him. Their carelessness was unfortunate, and it would end this phase of the fight prematurely as the Mirror Shield reflected both attacks back at the other witch, for their attack angles made it so that their attacks would be reflected back onto the other. Both witches cried out in pain as they took the hit, an icy mist surrounding Koume, and a flaming aura surrounding Kotake.

As soon as they had recovered from the hits, they backed away for a moment. "This boy is stronger than he looks," Koume seethed.

"Perhaps, but he will not defeat us in our fused form," Kotake answered.

"Right," Koume cried. "Now, let us fuse into Twinrova!" both witches cried.

They began to orbit each other and flew closer and closer together until they made contact with the other and merged into a single being. No longer did two hags riding broomsticks face down Link. Now a young looking Gerudo woman with green skin, wearing a black dress, and with fire and ice for hair looked down at Link. Twinrova also held two wands, one in each hand, which Link guessed were how they would cast their spells. He soon stood upright and waited as Twinrova floated above the area. Soon, she pointed her right wand down at him and a blast of flame came down upon him. Holding up the Mirror Shield, he intercepted the attack but the blast of fire was not reflected back at Twinrova. It was absorbed into the shield and the shield began to pulsate red, with what sounded like an alarm issuing from the shield.

Link did not lose track of Twinrova as she floated to the other end of the battlefield and unleashed a blast of ice from her left wand. Not wanting to cancel the effect of the fire, Link fled from the area of impact where the ice would strike. As he fled, the ice blast hit the ground and sheet of ice formed on the ground, spreading out quickly, reaching several meters in diameter. Link was able to safely stay out of its blast range, though, and he waited for the sheet to dissipate before stepping into the center of the battlefield again.

Twinrova soon fired another blast of fire, which Link intercepted with the Mirror Shield. As soon as it struck the shield, the fire was absorbed into it. Almost immediately after, the pulsating of fire became faster, as did the alarm tone. The pitch of the alarm sound became a note higher, indicating to Link that he only had to absorb one more blast of fire before he could send it back to Twinrova. It was his hope that that would be sufficient to bring down the sorceress and allow him to destroy her once and for all.

He anticipated that Twinrova would likely perform several ice attacks in order to try to get him frozen, or to simply block one and cancel out the fire energy that he was storing in his shield. Much to his surprise, though, Twinrova let out another blast of fire, which Link was all too happy to absorb into the Mirror Shield. The blast of fire struck the shield and its pitch increased as its tone and the pulsating got faster for a moment before the fire was sent back to Twinrova. The fire washed over her and she gave a cry as she fell from the air, landing on the rocks not too far away from Link.

Link, seeing chance to end Twinrova's threat once and for all, rushed over to where she would land as she fell and went to perform a Mortal Draw as she landed. He quickly drew his sword and cut her at the neck. The strike, alone, was not enough to kill her despite her weakened defense. However, it still inflicted a great deal of damage to Twinrova and she gave a cry and was stunned by the strike. Link was not concerned. The damage dealt told him that she would not survive many Mortal Draws, and if he could time his strikes right, he could kill her before she could recover and rise into the air. He then sheathed his blade and performed another Mortal Draw. Again, this one was not quite capable of killing Twinrova, but it still did a great deal of damage. One more draw would be sufficient to kill Twinrova. He sheathed his sword once again and then drew it for the final time against Twinrova, for his final slice bisected the fused Gerudo sorceress.

Twinrova immediately split apart into Koume and Kotake after the final Mortal Draw. They were sent flying backwards and fell off their broomsticks and to the ground. They struggled to rise, issuing the threat, "Okay…Link. Now…you've…done…it. We're…mad now." However, their threats would amount to nothing, for several lines of light appeared on their bodies, the lines indicative of where they were cut while they were fused into Twinrova. Suddenly, their eyes went wide with pain and they looked down and saw the lines of light expanding to engulf their whole bodies. They each issued cries of shock and despair, crying, "No! We can't die yet!" However, there was nothing they could do to save themselves, for it was their own evil that was the cause of their destruction as the evil destroying properties of the Master Sword attacked their minds and souls, the damage manifesting on their bodies. They gave one last cry as the light consumed them and they were eventually utterly destroyed. With Twinrova dealt with, Link simply stood in the Mirror Chamber.

When the battle was over, he sensed something arrive and turned around. When he turned, he saw the five remaining sages standing before him, with Rauru standing before him, and the other sages standing behind him. Rauru stepped forward and told Link in a grave tone, "Link, you are going into a situation that you might not return from. The Magic Lords are not like any other enemy you've encountered before. They are faster, stronger, and more powerful than you are. If you use the Triforce to repair the Mirror of Twilight, you will not be allowed to use it against the Magic Lords unless you allow it to break apart and find other users and reclaim it from them. Also remember, the Master Sword is one of the few weapons that can resist the powers of the Triforce. It cannot be lost. If you go into the Twilight Realm, you may have to consider leaving the Master Sword here."

"Link will need the Master Sword in order to face the Magic Lords," Link and the others heard the voice of Zelda call over to them from behind.

He turned around and saw Zelda being flanked by the members of Telma's Resistance, two Hyrulean Knights, and the rebel Gerudo leader. "The Master Sword is the Blade of Evil's Bane and it is one of the only, if not the only, weapons that can kill a Magic Lord. Without that blade, Link would have to have the Triforce to defeat them."

Rauru looked downcast and answered, "I know. I just wanted him to know the potential consequences and outcomes of this mission should he fail or be lost in the Twilight Realm."

"Don't worry sir, I won't lose the Master Sword," Link told him.

"Then do what you must," Rauru told him. "Use the power of the Triforce and wish for the Mirror of Twilight to be repaired with all your heart."

Link nodded and then closed his eyes and focused on his wish. He stretched out his hand and the Triforce immediately rose his hand and hovered over him, the relic glowing and a ringing sound echoing forth. It was then that Link made his wish. The relic glowed a deep gold as Link made his wish. A wind soon came from nowhere, sending up sand and dust all throughout the coliseum. In the wind, though, Link knew that he could see shards of glass rising from the sand. Shards of glass floated over to the frame at the end of the stage. When they arrived at the Mirror, they joined together, piece by piece. Pieces of glass joined and fused together creating a new sheet of glass. The glass had the same signs and emblems on it as the Mirror of Twilight. The sheet of reflective glass floated over to the frame and inserted itself into the frame, a ring sounding as the glass touched the frame, forming the Mirror of Twilight once again. Once the mirror was completed, the glass glowed for a second and it projected a beam of light onto the ground before Link. A black portal with white lines on it the opened. A series of black steps made out of shadows given form appeared before the portal, granting Link access to the Twilight Realm. Link jumped off the stage and headed on over to the portal. He climbed the steps and looked back at his friends. Zelda then stepped forward and wished him, "Good luck, Link. We'll be waiting for you."

The others nodded, echoing Zelda's statement. The then nodded back at them. As he did so, he gave them a smile before turning and stepping through the portal, vanishing from their sight, and this world.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18:

Meanwhile, Link emerged from the portal and found himself standing right in front of the Palace of Twilight in the Twilight Realm. Looking behind him, he saw the portal from the Sacred Realm close as soon as he entered into the Twilight Realm, the Mirror of Twilight going dark. After the portal closed, he turned and began to make his way towards the palace.

The palace looked massive and he could see two guards off in the distance standing by a stairwell that led to the central tower off in the distance. To his left and right were two towers but there seemed to be no activity coming from them. Everything was eerily quiet and he suddenly began to fear the worst. As he walked forward, he could feel that there was something wrong. After a few more steps, he saw a group of Twili, tall humanoids with black and turquoise skin that had glowing turquoise lines and markings all around their bodies, in the distance. Their forms grew bigger and he could tell that they were running towards him, fleeing the tower. Looking to his left and right, he saw more Twili coming from the two towers to either side. He stepped aside as the Mirror of Twilight in the Twilight Realm suddenly lit up again and a portal was formed. He did not know where the portal led, and did not think to ask the fleeing Twili as they entered the portal to flee the Twilight Realm. He turned around and spotted another group of Twili running towards the portal. A few Twili stood by and ushered the others towards the portal while others stood on guard. These Twili looked taller and more muscular, indicating that they were likely warriors. They also seemed to be holding glaives that were made of materials found in the Twilight Realm and had turquoise markings on them.

A glow then came from the sky, prompting Link to look up. That was when he saw a large dragon being ridden by a Hylian-like soldier. The dragon was breathing fire down upon the Palace of Twilight, which was quickly joined in by the Magic Lord riding it. The two streams of magical fire rained down upon the palace but were stopped by a shield that appeared over the palace, a turquoise glow surrounded the palace, along with the city that was in the background. The shield strained under the brutal assault but miraculously held under the withering assault. Link quickly steeled himself and proceeded to charge forward, knowing that if he was going to go into battle with a Magic Lord that he would likely lose. Still, he would have to try, for he would not abandon the Twili, or his friend, Midna, to destruction, and the Twili would need all the help they could get. Even if he could only serve as a distraction to allow Midna or anyone else with Light weapons to fight the Magic Lords, it would be better than nothing.

Link moved forward towards the Palace of Twilight, making his way past the fleeing Twili, looking up at the dragon and the Magic Lord fire their magical streams of fire down at the palace. The shield was still holding but it looked to be straining more and more and turquoise markings began to form close to the points of impact where the attacks from the dragon and Magic Lord were pounding the shield. To Link, the markings looked like they were cracks that were forming in the shield. Just as the shield looked like it was on the brink of collapse, though, a brilliant beam of golden light erupted from top of the tallest tower of the palace. The beam was so bright that Link instinctively shielded his eyes for an instant before realizing that the bright light was not hurting his eyes at all. The beam of light shot up at the dragon and immediately pierced through the dragon's scales and skin, washing over the rider as it emerged from the dragon's back. The Magic Lord rider was instantly annihilated by the beam of light, with the dragon quickly following suit as the rest of the dragon's body disintegrated under the assault by the light.

The defenses utilized by the tower shocked Link. He had heard that they had been holding their own for a time, but he had not expected to see the Twili mount such an effective defense against a Magic Lord and his dragon steed. They were actually killing Magic Lord invaders, something that had once required the old gods and/or weapons with the power to repel evil. He then saw several Twili warriors coordinating a defense, despite the fact that the attack seemed to be coming from outside the city. He could see them fire turquoise energy blasts from their staffs up at the attacking Magic Lords and dragons. Some blasts managed to hit the dragons and at least annoy the beasts, prompting them to focus on the warriors, rather than firing towards the central tower, giving the shield over the tower time to regenerate, but the dragons were still able to continue the fight, and the blasts of energy did nothing to harm the Magic Lords or even annoy them.

One of the Twili warriors, who was taller than the others, almost as tall as Midna or Zant, stood out to Link, looked to be coordinating the defense and evacuation as he ushered people towards the Mirror of Twilight, as well as issuing orders in his alien language to other warriors that were assembling. He did not appear to be armed, but Link suspected that he was far from defenseless, suspecting that he was a powerful magician. "Everyone, we have to hold the Elvanheim at bay until the evacuation is complete! We can't let them reach the palace!" he cried to the others. These were the first words that came from him that Link could understand. At first, he wondered if it was due to some residual power of the Triforce that may have still been inside of him. He did not dwell on it, though, and merely listened to the conversation so he could get an idea of how things were going here.

"Yes, sir," The other Twili warriors, who looked to be armed with staffs with runes and glowing turquoise markings on them but that also seemed to have a technological appearance to them, answered in reply. They then went to usher more Twili through the portal.

The leader then went over and pulled aside two warriors. "You two, get inside the palace and assist Queen Midna and the others in maintaining the defenses. We must maintain the shield and the Light projector until everyone is through!"

The two shouted their affirmation as they then saluted their commander and headed towards the palace, making their way up a staircase towards the central tower of the palace and heading into the palace. When Link heard the exchange, he knew what he had to do. Midna was inside the palace and was doing everything she could to hold back the Magic Lords, for despite the fact that one Magic Lord and dragon had just been destroyed, he knew that more were coming. Another flash in the sky proved that point as the Twili present, as well as Link and the commanders reflexively ducked as they looked into the sky and saw a golden beam light strike the shield just above them, showing them that if the shield had not been active, that the blast would have annihilated them all in that shot.

Link then charged towards the palace but was soon spotted by two Twili warriors and they stepped forward, holding out their staffs and pointing their heads right at Link in suspicion. Link drew his sword and Hylian Shield and held it out in front of him but not in an aggressive posture. He knew that they would not recognize the sword, but the Twili might recognize the Hylian Shield. The Twili warriors relaxed as they saw his sword and shield, as well as the fact that Link was wearing his Hero's Clothes and one of them said, "You're Link, Queen Midna's friend, aren't you?"

Link nodded. "How are things going here?"

"It could be worse," the second warrior answered. "We've managed to kill two of the five Magic Lords that were attacking us but there are three more assaulting the city and the palace. There's no way the shield will hold out against all of them."

To accentuate the warrior's point, more energy blasts rained down upon the Palace of Twilight. Even underneath the shield, Link could feel the strength of the energy blasts as the ground shook beneath his feet. Had those blasts managed to hit the ground unimpeded, chances were that they each at the very least be powerful enough to level a continent, if not wipe out all life on a planet.

"Are the Magic Lords and dragons the only ones attacking?" Link asked.

"They seem to be for now," the Twili warrior answered. "But we saw several riders on the backs of the dragons. My guess is that they could be scribes that ride with the Magic Lords come to catalogue the events and conquests of their masters. Our magicians sense that they have magic, but they haven't come down to fight just yet."

Another brilliant flash of light soon erupted from above and struck the shield once more, causing it to flare and strain. Link could see cracks forming in the shield. Rays of energy and fire leaked through the cracks to attack the fleeing Twili below. The warriors raised their own secondary shields to protect the fleeing civilians. Soon, they saw several elf-like warriors standing before them armed with ornate swords made from various metals and large round shields made of what looked to be gold. The elfin warriors charged towards the Twili warriors but the Twili simply turned their staffs towards the warriors and opened fire. Turquoise energy blasts erupted from the staffs and lashed out at the elfin warriors, felling the entire first line of them. It appeared as if the servant races for the Magic Lords were now entering the fight.

Link wasted no time charging into the fray, holding his sword high. He kept a close eye on the Magic Lords above him, doing his best to gauge the time the shield would fall so he would be able to force a battle with them, or at least hopefully either distract them or draw them away from the palace. As it was now, though, he had to help the Twili warriors protect the fleeing civilians. He rushed to assist the Twili warriors as they fired another volley of energy blasts into the elves. The elves, as he called them for he had no other name for the enemy warriors, raised their shields, but the shields did little good in protecting them from the energy blasts of the Twili staffs. Link was shocked as he saw the Twili fighting the elves, for he had never seen weapons like these before from the Twili. Still, despite the effectiveness of the weapons, there were few Twili warriors, and the multitude of surviving elves were beginning to overwhelm them.

Link changed that when he drew an explosive arrow and fired into the ranks of the elves. The arrow leapt from his bow and arced through the air, falling among a gathering of warriors who had drawn bows of their own and were about to fire a volley of arrows, likely magical arrows, into the Twili warriors. The arrow detonated upon striking the elves and the explosion sent them flying in all directions, killing at least two of the elves. Link then charged into the ranks of the rest of the elves, holding his sword high in the air. He made his way into the fray as the elves had reached the Twili warriors and were doing their best to overpower them. The few Twili warriors were being driven back until Link's arrival. Once he arrived, the tide quickly turned in favor of Link and the Twili. Link waded into the fray, cutting down an elfin servant of the Magic Lords with each swing of his sword. Despite the skill of the warriors, having been bred for battle, Link was clearly in another league, easily able to dodge or parry their attacks and retaliate with a clean, crisp swing of the sword. His Master Sword was able to cut through the armor worn by the elves as if it were made of tissue paper. The battle did not last much longer than ten seconds. At the end of it, twenty elves were lying on the ground, dead, with the Twili warriors having suffered no fatalities, with only a couple minor injuries. The warriors quickly took the injured to the medics to have their injuries seen to, just in case there was magic at work in the wounds.

Once the sword fight had ended, Link made his way towards the center pedestal just in front of the palace. Two Twili warriors were standing guard in front of the palace and as Link approached them, they took aim at him with their staffs. "Halt!" the commanded. "Identify yourself!"

"I'm Link," the half Hylian answered. "I'm a friend of Midna's."

The Twili were unconvinced. "Prove you're a friend of Midna's and not one of the elves serving the Magic Lords," the Twili warriors insisted, not lowering their staffs, their holds on them unwavering. He could tell that these soldiers were ready to fight.

Link showed the Twili his Master Sword and presented himself. "I am a Hylian warrior from Hyrule named Link and Midna's friend," Link told them. "I'm here to help. Where is Midna?"

The Twili soon relaxed and lowered their weapons. "She's in the throne room in the central tower," one of the warriors told him. "She is currently controlling the Palace of Twilight's defense systems, using the power of the Sols, along with her own power, to keep the Magic Lords at bay until the evacuation is completed."

Link could tell, though, that the Twili warrior had issues with Midna staying in the throne room to control the defenses, putting herself at great risk should the Palace defenses be breached. "Please, when you reach her, get her out of here," the Twili warrior pleaded. "She stated that she would remain here to hold off the Elvanheim so that the rest of us could escape without being followed. We're evacuating to another world in the Light Universe. We'll have to take the Sols with us so that we will be able to survive in the Light Universe once more until we have fully acclimated to the universe once again. We'll take you to her. Follow us."

As soon as they went to head towards the stairwell that would lead to the central tower, there was a loud explosion in the sky that sounded like thunder. Link looked up and saw that the last attack by the Magic Lords had breached the shield. The defenses of the Palace of Twilight retaliated by firing a wave of light at the Magic Lords and their dragons. Two dragons and their Magic Lord riders met their end at the wave of light. The final Magic Lord soon lowered his dragon and noticed Link, for he turned and noticed the Hylian hero and the two Twili warriors that were with him. The Magic Lord then called to his dragon in an alien language and both fired massive streams of fire and light down on Link and the Twili. The Twili then raised a magical shield over themselves and Link, likely mixing their magic with whatever was powering their glaives. The fire and light struck the shield erected by the Twili and it flared with the strike before reflecting the light and flame back at the Magic Lord and his dragon. The dragon was burned by the fire and suffered great damage from the reflected magical light. The dragon was set ablaze and was falling from the sky, giving a cry of pain and anger. The Magic Lord, on the other hand, must have taken some precautions, for he did not meet the fate of his dragon. He was clearly damaged by the attack, but he was still able to keep himself from dying. Still, without his dragon, he could not fly, and as such, he fell to the ground. He was able to direct his descent so he hit the platform directly in front of Link, though.

Link was quick to react, though, and rushed towards the area where the enemy would fall. As the Magic Lord approached the ground, Link was rushing towards him. Eventually, the Magic Lord crashed into the ground, cracking it and causing the ground to shake. Link staggered forward until the ground stopped shaking. Looking at the Magic Lord, he saw that the warrior was dressed in ornate gold armor with a gold broadsword and what looked to be a gold shield. As the Magic Lord began to stand, he noticed that the elf-like soldier seemed to be dazed from his fall and the damage he took from his reflected attack, given the fact that the warrior was standing unsteadily. Remembering the warnings that he had heard about the Magic Lords and their speed in combat, he wasted no time drawing an explosive arrow, hoping that the defenses of the Magic Lord were down and that the arrow would kill him before he could recover. However, before he could attack, a beam of light erupted from the tower, targeting the Magic Lord. The Magic Lord was caught off guard and did not react as the beam of Light bore through his armor as if it was not even there and it pierced the heart of the evil warrior. The Magic Lord spasmed and dropped his weapons. As the beam cut off, Link saw a glowing hole in the Magic Lord's chest right where the beam had pierced his armor. The light soon expanded to the rest of the Magic Lord's body and cracks appeared in his flesh and armor. He then exploded in a blast of light and magic, Link raising his shield and ducking in order to avoid as much of the explosion as possible. His defense was not needed, for the explosion never reached him and the residual energy of the Magic Lord dissipated as soon as his body had vanished.

As soon as the Magic Lord had died, Link began counting and he remembered that there had been five Magic Lords reported to have attacked the Twilight Realm. Thinking back on the casualties, he noticed that five Magic Lords had since been slain. The battle should have been over. The Twili should all be safe.

Just as he was thinking those thoughts, though, another flash appeared in the sky. Link and the others looked up and soon, he found a dozen dragons floating in the sky, each one bearing a single rider. Most of the riders looked like armored elves or Hylians, but some looked more like humanoid dragons. His eyes went wide with shock as he suddenly realized that a dozen Magic Lords had suddenly appeared on the scene. It was not long before a hologram of Midna appeared over the main tower of the Palace of Twilight. "All remaining citizens and forces of the Twilight Realm: our shield has been breached and servants of the enemy have entered the palace. The Elvanheim are making their push into the palace and the city as we speak. Any and all remaining Twili citizens and forces, your orders are to retreat to the evacuation point and go to the Beta Site at once. All remaining Twili warriors are to stand guard at the portal until the last of our people are through. I will remain here and hold them off for as long as I can. You have your orders; carry them out. If anyone decides to remain here, know this. The Elvanheim do not show mercy, they will spare no one. If you remain, you will die." With that, the hologram of the Twilight Queen vanished.

Link quickly charged forward with two Twili warriors following him and he made his way towards the central tower. They were quickly met by a group of four elves. Link and the Twili warriors made quick work of the elves and they ran past the scene after felling all four of the servants of the Magic Lords. Once the elves were dealt with, Link and the Twili charged towards the door at the end of the walkway that led to the tower and went on through.

The trio found themselves in a large chamber. It looked relatively plain now that Zant's influence was gone. However, Link and the Twili had another problem to deal with. The chamber was overrun with elves. Link quickly decided to deal with that by placing a Bombling on the ground and letting it skitter towards the elves. The elves were not focusing on the Bombling, for they did not react to it until it exploded and blew a hole in their ranks. After the Bombling exploded, the elves focused directly on Link while the Twili created a portal, likely to take them to Midna.

"Hurry, Link, we cannot dawdle here. We must reach the queen now!" one of the warriors cried.

"You go," Link told them. "I'll hold off the elves and take the long way around."

The Twili did as Link bade and they generated a portal that took them out of the room. Link, meanwhile, charged the remaining elves and performed a spin attack. The spin attack bisected the elves with one hit. Evidently, they did not seem to be all that great warriors if a simple spin attack could take them out with one hit. After dealing with the elves, he made his way up a set of stairs to a ledge that led to an exit that took him to the battlements outside the tower. Before leaving the room, though, he noticed a pot in the corner. He went to shatter the pot and out came a pink orb of energy with translucent wings. He got out his remaining empty bottle and swiped it at the fairy, scooping it into the bottle and placing the cork on the bottle.

When he arrived at the battlements, he found himself coming face to face with a Magic Lord. This one wore platinum armor and had blond hair and green eyes. He drew a sword and an echo rang out. The sword had a silvery glint to it and it seemed to glow. Link drew the Master Sword out and held it and the Mirror Shield out in front of him.

"You must be a strong warrior, or an insane fool to come here to fight us, half Hylian," the Magic Lord told him.

Link did not give a reaction as he waited to see what the Magic Lord would do. The Magic Lord then stepped forward and said, "Let us see your skill, Hylian, or half Hylian is it. I do not know the other people that you have kinship with but I was there in our first assault on Hylia and can tell that you are not pure Hylian, for the magic of that world has not pervaded you enough."

He then charged Link faster than the hero could react and stabbed Link in the heart. Link could barely even raise move his sword a millimeter from its original position before the Magic Lord's sword ran him through. As Link was stabbed, the Magic Lord said scornfully, "Pathetic. You are only slightly stronger than these warriors in this world, and no match for the gods of Hyrule."

He then withdrew the blade, letting Link fall to the ground, dropping his sword. The Magic Lord then turned away from Link, not seeing the fairy rise from Link and fly around him, transferring its healing energy to him and reviving him. "Now to kill the Twilight Queen," the Magic Lord said haughtily as he departed from Link.

As soon as the fairy healed Link it disappeared. Once he had been healed, the Hero of Twilight rose and looked at the departing Magic Lord. He then ran towards the Magic Lord as quickly as possible and thrust his sword towards him. As he launched his attack, though, the Magic Lord turned and let Link's sword hit him. This was a fatal mistake, for the magic repelling and evil destroying properties of the Master Sword allowed it to pierce the Magic Lord's armor as if it were made of silk. The sword pierced the Magic Lord in the heart, a look of shock crossing the Magic Lord's face as his strength left him in an instant. He dropped his sword and Link withdrew the blade, looking into the glowing hole in the Magic Lord's chest. Yellow cracks soon formed all along the Magic Lord's armor and head and the soldier soon fell to the ground, completely dead, turning to ash as he fell to the ground.

With the Magic Lord having been beaten, Link quickly put on his red and gold Magic Armor, not wanting to make another fatal mistake since he was out of fairies. He made his way across the battlement and towards a door that took him into the North Palace Tower, not stopping to look below to see Twili warriors holding off the elfin servants of the Magic Lords as the Twili civilians fled through the Mirror of Twilight. When he entered, he saw that the room was practically bare save for two black platforms with turquoise lines that were a hallmark of Twili architecture and technology sitting on the ground that would take him to the exit that would take him to the entrance hall to the throne room. However, in order to reach the platforms, though, he found that he would have to deal with four elves. Not wanting to waste time in swordfights against the elves, he decided to deal with them using his ranged weapons. Tying a bomb to one of his arrows, Link pulled back on his string and fired his Bomb Arrow at the elves. The Bomb Arrow hit one of the elves squarely in the chest and exploded, blowing apart the elf, and sending the other elves flying through the air. Another elf was certainly dead, for an unnatural blue flame erupted around his body and consumed it within seconds, while the fates of the other two elves was not yet certain. Link made it certain with two more arrows, one for each elf. Once the elves had been slain, Link made his way over to the platforms and rode them to a ledge where he found another platform that would take him to the top of the room, and the fourth level of the palace. Stepping onto the platform, he rode it up to the top ledge and soon stood before a door. He went to the door, opened it, and stepped on through.

On the other side of the door was a long hallway that led to Midna's throne room. The hallway had a red carpet with some pillars that made for good cover, but besides the carpet and the pillars, the room was unremarkable. A large number of elves were doing their best to break down the door separating them from Midna and the Palace's defenses. He could hear them using a ram on the door in an attempt to breach it. Knowing that the door would not hold for much longer, he decided to give the elves something else to think about. He quickly took out a Bombling and placed it on the ground. Once, sending it in the direction of a large number of elves. The Bombling skittered along the ground until it made contact with an elf and blew the elf to pieces, killing several of his comrades that were standing next to him as well. The explosion had gotten the attention of the other elves and many of them broke off from the attempt to breach the throne room door and focused their attention towards Link. Link had not been idle as the Bombling made its way towards the elves, though. He had also taken out several bombs and tossed them into the ranks of the elves. Numerous explosions rang out through their ranks as they had been attempting to either breach the door or had turned to face Link after the Bombling had taken out a number of their forces.

The remaining elves turned towards Link as one and roared in rage as they drew their weapons and charged directly towards him. Link calmly drew his bow and arrow and fired at the elf that was closest to him, felling the elf with a single shot. He then drew another arrow and fired at the next closest elf, felling him, too. Link repeated this numerous times until the remainder of the elves had closed the distance with him and it quickly became a swordfight. Link drew the Master Sword and performed a Mortal Draw on the first group of elves that arrived at his position. His draw slew three of them and caused another to back off before reengaging the hero. After the first few elves had fallen, the others then launched their own attacks on Link. Despite their ferocity, they did not seem to have much skill, though, for a horizontal slash from Link felled two more elves, with a third falling to a single vertical strike. Another elf was more skilled as when Link attacked him, he caught Link's blow on his blade, causing a clang to ring out throughout the room. However, the fight would not last long as Link quickly caught the elf's counterblow on his Hylian Shield and used a Shield Thrust to push the elf off balance. Link then stabbed the elf in the chest, felling him. He continued to fend off the elves as they attacked, using both his sword and shield as weapons since a swing of the shield were able to knock elves unconscious, or worse, if he hit them in the head. After a few more elves were slain, he could tell that their ranks were thinning. It was then that the remaining elves managed to breach the door.

The throne room door burst open from a final ramming from the battering ram that the elves had brought to the battle. Unfortunately for the elves, though, they were quickly met by a withering barrage of turquoise energy balls fired from the staffs of the Twili warriors protecting Midna as she controlled the Palace of Twilight's defenses. After Link dealt with the two remaining elves that had been fighting him rather than trying to get through the door, the battle was over. He then rushed to the throne room to make sure that Midna was okay and that none of the elves had managed to make it into the room.

As soon as he appeared in the doorway, two of the four Twili warriors that were protecting Midna pointed their staffs at him a moment before the other two lowered their staffs, saying, "Hold your fire, he's with us."

The two Twili warriors looked at Link and then back at the other warriors and then their queen, who instantly recognized Link and could not hide her shock. "Link," she almost gasped. "What are you doing here?"

"Trying to save you," Link answered.

"No!" she cried, not bothering to hide the fact that he was the last person she wanted to see at this time. "You have to get out of here now! The Elvanheim, or Magic Lords as you likely call them, have overrun the city. The dozen that you see above the palace are only the first of several waves attacking right now. We'll never hold out against that."

"But I came here to help you," Link answered. "I have the Master Sword. If I can power my arrows into Light Arrows, we may be able to hold them back."

"No," Midna answered sadly, shaking her head. "It's too late for that. There are too many Magic Lords and dragons, with more coming as we speak. The only thing we can do right now is evacuate the Twilight Realm. I have identified a place where my people can live, away from the sight of the Magic Lords. We just needed to hold off the Magic Lords long enough for them to get through. Unfortunately, with you coming through, chances are that we had to redial the location on our Mirror so there's a chance that the Magic Lords may know where we are headed and attack us again."

"Then I'll cover you while you get out of here."

"It won't work like that," Midna explained, a little too harshly, which caused her to take a deep breath and apologize to Link. "My plan was to transfer as much of the Light of the Sols to the defenses of the Palace of Twilight as possible in an attempt to overload them so they would explode. The Sols would be able to regenerate their light so they can still be used to help the other Twili. Hopefully, the explosion would be powerful enough to wipe out the Magic Lords attacking us, while also making it look like my people perished in the explosion, for the Palace of Twilight would almost certainly be leveled by the explosion."

"Your majesty, we have to go now," one of the Twili warriors said quickly as the sounds of fighting intensified.

"You four get out of here now and take Link with you," she ordered. "I'll be right behind you."

The Twili soldiers obeyed and went to take Link with them when he suddenly backflipped away from them and went over to Midna, who had made her way over to a pedestal that held two dark gray spherical objects with glowing turquoise markings to take the two of the Sols with her. "Get out of here," he told the Twili, who did not make a move on him. He then turned to Midna and told her, "If you want to take both Sols with you, it will be better to do it in one trip than two."

Midna could see the wisdom of Link's plan and answered, "Fine, but we have to hurry. Once they notice that the Palace has stopped firing on them, it won't be long before they make their push against us."

"Then we'll have to equip ourselves properly," Link answered. He then turned to Midna and asked, "Can the Light of the Sols be transferred to arrows?"

"Yes," Midna answered, nodding. "But it has to be done arrow by arrow. Place as many arrowheads into one of the Sols as possible without trying to damage it. The Light of both Sols should be transferred to the arrows as long as both Sols are on the pedestal. Once the light is transferred, withdraw it."

As Link went to transfer the Light of the Sols to as many arrows as he could, the Twili warriors obeyed Midna's orders and retreated. Link managed to place five arrows into the Sol and have the light of the two objects transferred to his arrows. He then had another five powered up by the Sols as well. He was about to power up some more when a magical blast hit the Palace of Twilight, causing an explosion to sound and the room to shake violently. A part of the roof was blown into the room and both Link and Midna could hear the crashing of pillars and other debris on the battlements below. Wind rushed into the room as the hole was blown into the roof. "No! They've taken out the defense projector," Midna cried over the rushing wind. "We have to go now!"

Link then stooped down and picked up one of the Sols, with Midna picking up the other one, and the Twilight Queen then used her magic to warp them to the plateau that held the Mirror of Twilight. The two appeared next to the Mirror as the last of the evacuees were making their way through. The four Twili warriors that had been with Midna in the throne room were making no moves as the last of the civilians had gone through. Midna and Link went over to the Twili and Midna handed them her Sol. She looked over at Link and motioned for him to do the same. Link did so and the Twili accepted the Sol. Before going through the portal, though, Midna took out a black and orange crystal with six spikes, three on each side, that looked much like the Shadow Crystal that Link had used to transform into a wolf at will during the Invasion of Twilight. Midna then went over to the two Sols and had them transfer as much of their Light to the crystal as possible. Once the crystal was full, it glowed a deep gold and white as it brimmed with power that of all Twili, only Midna could safely wield. Once that was finished, Midna turned to Link and asked, "Do you still have that Shadow Crystal that possessed Zant's magic?"

Link nodded and took out the crystal. Midna then told him, "Transfer some of the Light into it. It will allow you to transform into a wolf again, should you need to, as well as become a human once more whenever you want."

Link did as she bade and soon, half of his crystal emitted a golden glow of light, while the rest of it was still black and orange. Once the transfer was complete, Link put his crystal away. Once he had put it away, the two Twili turned and headed through the portal, taking the two Sols with them. The two Twili without Sols, however, merely stood by, waiting to assist Midna with what her plan. Midna was not amused. "Go!" she shouted. "The portal won't stay open for much longer! Get out of here now! That's an order!"

The Twili were hesitant to leave her, only prompting her to yell, "Get out of here, you fools! My plan is a suicide plan!"

Link's eyes shot wide with shock at that revelation. As for the Twili, they hesitantly obeyed Midna's command and proceeded to walk to the portal. As they stepped on the mirror symbol, they dissolved into light as the Twilight Realm's Mirror of Twilight took them away from the Twilight Palace, and the Twilight Realm, and to another world. Once that was finished, Link turned and noticed that the Magic Lords were regrouping for another assault on the Palace. He wondered why they did not simply finish them off or destroy the Palace of Twilight, but he was thankful for the lull in the fighting.

He then looked over to Midna and noticed her using her power to activate the Mirror of Twilight once more. The mirror symbol glowed once more and soon, a second portal was opened. Midna then turned to Link and told him, "Link, this portal will take you back to Hyrule. It's based on the same spell that Zant used to get to Hyrule in the first place. The pathway it generates locks onto the shattered Mirror of Twilight frame in the World of Light and forms a connection to it. This should take you back to Hyrule safely. Hurry, I don't know how long the lull in the fighting will last."

Link made no moves for a minute, merely standing there. Midna was not pleased. "What are you waiting for? Get back to Hyrule now!" she cried.

Link then drew the Master Sword and tossed it into the portal. Midna's eyes went wide. "Link, what are you doing? That's your ticket home!"

"Giving you an avenue of escape," Link answered. "As soon as you are safely in Hyrule, go to Zelda. She should have the Triforce with her since it hasn't been that long since I left. If it's there, you should be able to wish yourself back to your people."

"You don't know what you're doing, Link," Midna contested. "The Magic Lords may know where we're going. This is but a small force compared to the numbers they likely have. The plan I told you about was as much for their ears as it was for yours. My true plan was to lure them to the Palace of Twilight and trap them inside a stasis field generated by the crystal. There was more to it, though. The stasis field would eventually collapse and the combination of Light and Dark energies would warp and tear in the fabric of space and time all throughout the Palace of Twilight. It would literally annihilate the Magic Lords and their dragons. It would also unleash a massive wave of Light and Dark energy all throughout the city, likely killing any Magic Lord and dragon in its reach, along with anything else, leveling the city. It would most certainly kill those who would likely know of our location, while making it seem to any survivors that we used a suicide attack in order to stop them."

"Then let me activate it," Link insisted.

"But you don't have any magic," Midna replied.

"Do I need it to make it work?" Link asked.

"Not really," Midna answered. "But magic would allow you to stabilize the stasis field and make sure that it grows to be large enough to encompass the entire palace. Besides, you'll need protection while you activate the field."

"I can handle myself," Link answered.

"While you're controlling the defense field projector as well?" Midna asked skeptically. "You'll be opening yourself up to attack." Midna then grabbed Link's shoulders and said, "Link, you don't understand the Magic Lords. Without special weapons or magic, such as the power to destroy evil, the Magic Lords are virtually unbeatable. They can destroy planets, planets the size of Hylia. The only reason that the gods of Hyrule were able to repel the Magic Lords is because they had the same amount of power. It took _gods_ to beat them. Mortals can't do it without an edge, an edge that people like you and me don't have without magic and/or technology. The Light power of the Sols is powerful enough to kill them. They are vulnerable to such power. It is their bane. You only have ten arrows. If you somehow manage to score ten hits on the Magic Lords, you'll only take down ten of the dozens that are attacking us now. This is the largest attack by a single band of Magic Lords ever since the attack on Hyrule ages ago."

"But your people need you," Link told her. "You have a responsibility to them. And I have one to myself and to Hyrule. You go to your people. I'll keep the Magic Lords here and deal with them."

Midna was about to argue but a blast of green magic hit the Mirror, cracking the mirror. The portal began to fluctuate. Seeing that there was no other choice, Link told Midna, "Sorry," as he pushed her into the portal's light. The portal grabbed her and she transformed into light particles as she was drawn into the Mirror, crying, "No!"

"When you get back to Hyrule, look for Zelda," Link called out to her before she disappeared. "She'll have the Triforce and you can use it to wish yourself back to your people!"

As he gave his final instructions, Midna completely disappeared into the portal. As soon as she was through, the portal began to fluctuate and eventually it shut down. A moment later, several shards of glass fell from the mirror, and another second after, the whole assembly collapsed. The Mirror of Twilight was destroyed, as was his only known return to Hyrule. Link then took one look at the scene as what remained of the automatic defenses of the Palace of Twilight fired on the Magic Lord assailants and realized that if he were to take down the Magic Lords and secure the successful escape of Midna and her people, he would have to act fast.

Looking up, he saw a dragon and Magic Lord hovering over them. Link drew out his bow and one of the Light-infused arrows and pulled back on his string. Seeing another Magic Lord approach, he drew another arrow and did his best to judge the trajectory of both arrows. Once he had spaced his arrows properly, he drew back on the string and let fly with both arrows. Both arrows hit true and scored direct hits on the Magic Lords, one having an arrow strike him in the eye, and another in the lower torso. It did not matter where the arrows hit them, for the Light would ensure their demise. The Magic Lords fell off their dragons and to the ground, the golden Light from the arrows consuming them.

Link retraced his footsteps back to the throne room. The way was barred by bands of elves and other humanoid creatures that served the Magic Lords. These creatures were not really all that dangerous to Link and he swiftly dealt with them with single swings of his sword. However, there sometimes was a Magic Lord present and he would have to be careful to either avoid said enemy, or take him or her down with a Light-infused arrow.

Eventually, he made it to the throne room. When he arrived, he found two Magic Lords already inside the room, scanning the surroundings. Wasting no time, he drew his bow and stringing a Light-infused arrow to it, he fired on one of the Magic Lords and managed to fell him. The other Magic Lord, however, was quick to react and appeared right in front of Link before he could string the arrow to his bow. However, Link was expecting such a move and was already thrusting his next arrow forward. The Magic Lord appeared right before Link, and a millimeter in front of the arrow. The arrow had struck his armor and pierced it before he could warp away to attack Link from another angle and by the time he could, it was already too late, for the arrow had penetrated the Magic Lord's skin.

Once the Magic Lords inside the throne room had been dealt with, Link went over to a slot on the pedestal where the Sols had been located before they had been removed. As he approached the pedestal, though, a green bolt of magic fly by his face. Turning around, he saw a large number of Magic Lords approaching him. Link quickly turned around unloaded all but one of his remaining Light-infused arrows into the Magic Lords, shooting at them, one arrow after the other. These Magic Lords were ready for his attack, though, simply sidestepped the arrows, allowing them to sail through the air and strike the rocks and walls of the throne room. As soon as he had expended all of his Light-infused arrows, Link backed away, an expression of terror on his face. The expression was false, though, for given the fact that the Magic Lords were grinning and gloating, rather than killing him, he guessed that they did not know why he had come back to the throne room. He backed up towards the pedestal, fingering the crystal. As soon as he went up onto the pedestal, he quickly jammed the crystal onto the pedestal and grinned. It did not really matter what happened to him now. His mission was accomplished and Midna and the Twili's escape was safe.

Link's actions surprised the Magic Lords and they went to attack him when suddenly, as the pedestal began to come to life. Turquoise markings began to glow as a golden light exploded forth from the pedestal, much like Midna's Dark Energy Attack that she used while Link had been in his Wolf form during the Invasion of Twilight. The energy paralyzed the Magic Lords just as they were about to stab Link with their swords, freezing them as their swords were less than a millimeter away from Link's eyes. Seeing them frozen and unable to move, golden sparks of light crackling across their bodies, Link could tell that the end of the Palace of Twilight was nearing. It was time for him to leave. He quickly fled the throne room and retraced his steps towards the exit. As he did so, he put on his Magic Armor, not wanting to be caught in the stasis field and killed, hoping that if worse came to worst, his armor would save him. It did not, though, and Link managed to escape from the Palace of Twilight before space and time were rent in that area.

As he escaped the Palace of Twilight, he ran to the shattered remains of the Mirror of Twilight and looked back at the Palace, knowing what was to come. He watched with amazement and as close to terror as he had ever felt as the light and dark energies mixed and cracks began to form all around reality inside the bubble of the Palace. As space and time warped and cracked, he could hear the cries of the Magic Lords and their dragons inside and around the palace as the energies tore them, and the Palace of Twilight, apart. The noise of the palace being torn to pieces was deafening, mostly because it was not only the palace, but also seemingly reality in that region of the realm that was being torn asunder. The pieces of the Palace fell to the abyss below and he could see the glow of blue flames as what he suspected were the pieces of the bodies of the Magic Lords were being consumed by flames. From the tears, he could see light and energy seeping through the tears in reality. The scene was wondrous and terrifying at the same time. There was no way anything could survive something like that. After a few seconds, the cracks and tears seemed to repair themselves and the scene returned to normal, minus the Palace of Twilight. He then stood there and sighed.

"So it's over."

"Not yet," came a response from a deep male voice behind him.

He turned around and saw a single Magic Lord standing before him, panting heavily. This Magic Lord wore white armor and had a helmet shaped like the beak of a bird. He was inhumanly handsome and had long, flowing white hair and green eyes. His armor, however, seemed to have gone through a war, for there were numerous rends, tears, and burn marks on the armor. The Magic Lord also looked to have suffered some injuries as well. He did not look to be at his best. "Your actions just killed forty-eight Elvanheim," he seethed, focusing in the hero. "We haven't suffered losses such as these since the attack on Hyrule centuries ago." The Magic Lord then grinned. "It will be satisfying to show that no one defies the Elvanheim and lives. No one." He then grabbed Link by the throat, gripping him tightly. "You foolishly threw away your magical sword and used up your magical arrows against my brethren. However, you did not kill us all. I survived. Now you will die as an example to all those who would oppose the Elvanheim."

However, the Magic Lord had not noticed that Link still had one Light-infused arrow. He quickly grabbed it and thrust it into the throat of the Magic Lord. A look of shock and pain came across the Magic Lord's face as he felt the arrow penetrate his armor and skin. However, the look of pain soon turned into a grin as he said, "Heroic, but ultimately futile." He then thrust his sword into Link's abdomen. "I may be slain, but you will die too." He then gazed deeply into Link's eyes, his face a mask of madness and evil. "And your death will exist for all to see, forever, for I have a stasis field generator implanted in my body. I put it in myself from one of the races we pillaged. This scene will become an eternal monument, and warning, to all who dare oppose us."

The Magic Lord then laughed as the light began to consume his body. Little by little, the Light ate away at his body and the hole that was caused by the Light-infused arrow grew greater in size. Once the wound spread to the chest and destroyed it, Link saw the clouds of the Twilight Realm speed up to the point that they looked like a river in the sky as the days, months, and years passed in the blink of an eye. To anyone who was outside the stasis bubble, though, the scene stopped and became frozen as if the film in a movie stopped and the movie was frozen on that very scene. Link and the dying Magic Lord were left as a permanent monument to the battle between them.

Back in the Arbiter's Grounds, Zelda, the members of Telma's Resistance movement, the rebel Gerudo leaders and two Hyrulean Knights stood watching the Mirror. They soon saw a glow as an object came through the portal. Hope entered Zelda's heart, but also some trepidation as she touched the Triforce, ready to use it against the Magic Lords should they have been the ones coming through. After a second, she saw a sword come through the portal and land on the ground, clattering as it hit. 'The Group' went over to it and looked down at the blade, instantly recognizing it as the Master Sword. Zelda came over and looked down at the blade, recognizing it, too. Suddenly, a feeling of loss came to Zelda and the others. The party then looked at the Mirror as it began to fluctuate and then the portal vanished, the Mirror going dark. "Oh no," Zelda said her voice trailing off into the distance as if it were carried by wind.

"He's gone," Rusl finished somberly.

Everyone in the Mirror Chamber stood still and had a moment of silence for Link. Zelda then went over to the Triforce and touched it. Selfishly, she wanted to make sure that Link could make it back to Hyrule, but she knew that such a wish would be selfish and against Link's own wishes. Instead, she wished that world of Hylia would be safe from the Magic Lords and that they had been dealt with. Once the wish was made, the glow on the Triforce diminished, indicating that Zelda had used her wish. When that was finished, Zelda stooped down and picked up the Master Sword. Then as one, the party went to depart the Arbiter's Grounds.

The first thing Zelda did after departing the Arbiter's Grounds was to visit the Sacred Grove so she could return the Master Sword to its pedestal. She slowly stepped up to the pedestal and took out the blade. Reversing her grip, she then slid it into the pedestal, the blade shining brightly as it was locked in place. Zelda then backed away and stared at the blade. As she stared at the Master Sword sticking from the pedestal, the feeling of loss truly hit home for her. She knew now that Link was either dead or cut off from Hyrule forever. A feeling of sadness came over her and she looked gloomily at the ground. As she did so, though, she was approached by the three women that had talked to her and Link before.

"What is the problem Queen of Hyrule?" the woman with orange hair, who Zelda knew was named Din asked. As she turned, she saw the woman staring at her, and it looked as if the woman's gaze was piercing her soul. She did not give an answer to the woman, though.

"Do not let your heart be troubled for Link. He made his decision with a clear mind and with all of the information he needed to make it. This is what he wanted. And he is not dead yet."

"How do you know this, Din?" Zelda asked.

"Because he is the Chosen Hero," Din answered, not showing any surprise at Zelda correctly stating her name. "His time is not over, yet. You, also, still have much to do. A great threat has been dealt with, but it is up to you to make sure that other threats do not emerge."

Zelda nodded and replied, "I will. Thank you."

With that, she stepped down from the pedestal and departed the Sacred Grove, going back to Hyrule Castle Town in order to get Epona so she could take her back to Ordon Village. Not finding Epona there, she went to Ordon Village to see if the horse had returned. When she entered the village, she looked around and spotted Link's friend Ilia tending to Epona near Link's house. She had the unenviable task of telling Ilia of Link's uncertain fate against a foe that had ravaged the world centuries ago and had destroyed the first kingdom of Hyrule. As she did so, she saw Ilia look down at the ground glumly. However, Ilia did not break out into tears. It was as if she had expected this outcome so she was not taken by surprise. Still, the loss grieved her deeply. Zelda then went to check on the others in the village. As expected, the people grieved the loss of Link. Ilia and the children of the village, all of who were close to Link, felt his loss the greatest. Still, life went on and the people of the village continued to work, making Link's home a small monument to what the courage of one person could accomplish. In the years that followed, the children of Ordon Village grew to be strong warriors and heroes that protected the weak and innocent, a great credit to their village, and to the memory of Link.

Zelda's duties had only just begun, though. In the intervening months, she had repaired Hyrule Castle, which had suffered damage in Ganondorf's second attack, as well as her own subsequent retaking of said castle. In addition, she sent several envoys to the Gerudos of Gerudo Desert in an attempt to open a dialogue and making peace with them. She was surprised that the Gerudos were eager to accept her offer of peace and some of her advisors cautioned her to be suspicious of them, for Ganondorf had sworn loyalty to her ancestor and before launching his failed attempt at getting the Triforce. Only the Hero of Time and the Princess Zelda of that time alerting the King of Hyrule as to Ganondorf's true intentions had saved the kingdom from the invasion that followed. Still, she could tell that the leader of the Gerudos was very eager for there to be peace between their peoples and she hoped and prayed that there would be prosperous times to come for Hyrule.

While performing the various tasks and duties for the kingdom, she also returned the Triforce to the Sacred Realm. As she did so, she met with the Sage of Light, Rauru, and approached him. When she did, she made her request. "I know that you can see much from the Sacred Realm," she began. What has happened to him?"

"I know that Link went to the Twilight Realm to save the Twili from the Magic Lord invasion." Rauru answered. "Link was wounded, possibly fatally, but he killed his attacker and is currently in stasis. I know nothing more at this moment."

Zelda simply looked downcast, knowing that she would have to be content with the answer that Rauru had given her. He then went over to her and told her, "Do not grieve, Queen of Hyrule. He would not want you to grieve for him when there is so much for you to live for. You are the Queen of Hyrule and your people need you. And even with all of this, a great curse has been lifted and destroyed. Demise is dead, this time for good, as is Ganondorf, the incarnation of his hatred. For the first time, you and those of your line are free from the curse of Demise. This is a great victory."

"Yes, I know" Zelda admitted wistfully. "It's just that the cost was so high, if not in lives, then in who it was that was lost."

"I know what you mean," Rauru said, nodding. "I know exactly what you mean."

Meanwhile, in an unexplored area of Gerudo Desert, Aveil gave birth to a Gerudo boy. Normally, this boy would be the ruler of the Gerudos, but his ties to Ganondorf would ensure that they would never follow him or any of his descendants, unless they came up with a plan to conceal his heritage. And without Twinrova to guide him, it would fall to her to teach him everything she knew about magic, which was not all that much. It would be even more difficult since she decided that she would have to raise the boy in seclusion order to keep all suspicion of his true heritage away from the prying eyes of Hyrule's royalty and the Sages, as well as the rest of the Gerudos. To anyone else, he was viewed as an orphan. Still, the boy took after her more than he did his father in appearance, so save for his orange hair, he looked like normal Hylian boy. She would be able to hide his heritage and allow him to marry a Gerudo woman with her being none the wiser. That way, Ganondorf's legacy would live on, for even though the link that sustained Ganondorf was severed, there she would drill into him what had happened to his father and how Link had killed him. She would teach him to hate Hyrule and the other Gerudos that had betrayed his father. With him, the line of hatred would continue generation after generation until another Ganondorf would be born to the Gerudos of the original's line. The great lord Ganondorf would have his revenge through his descendant.

In the dark reaches of space inside the Sacred Realm, a dying Ganondorf floated in the endless emptiness as he gazed at his surroundings. He knew that the end was coming. The stab wound that he had sustained had punctured his lung and he could not breathe properly, though that was not so much of a problem in an area like this, where there was no air. The air that he had generated from the deepest of his magical reserves was quickly running out, as was the power that kept the bubble intact. However, that reserve had since been depleted keeping the bomb's explosion from blowing him apart. Still, it had not stopped him from sustaining numerous other burns that would soon kill him anyway.

He was about to give up and let the end come when he saw a purple vortex open in the distance. He soon felt himself change course and float towards it. He soon noticed a speck of light emerge from the vortex. He strained to see what it was, but would not have to, for soon, it grew in size until Ganondorf could make out that it was a white gloved right hand. A feeling of curiosity came over the Gerudo King and he soon heard a deep voice tell him, "You look horrible."

He did not know where the voice had come from and asked, "Who said that?"

"I did," came the reply as the hand moved and held out his thumb, pointing it backwards, as if indicating that the hand, itself, had spoken. "My name is Master Hand."

"How did you get here?"

"That's not important right now, but you may just learn in the future."

"Why are you here?"

"I am here for you," the hand answered plainly.

The Gerudo King arched his eyebrows. "Why me?"

"Because you are a powerful warrior, and a skilled leader," Master Hand answered.

Ganondorf struggled to scoff. "I'm dying. I won't last more than a few minutes. You may as well go on your way."

"What if I could save you?" the hand offered.

That got the Gerudo King's attention as he focused more on the hand.

"I have the power and the technology to save many people who have sustained fatal injuries, even those as serious as your own," Master Hand explained. "Do not think that the only reason you're still alive is because of your magic, that gave out a while ago, and the bomb blast would have finished you off. You're alive right now because of my power. I don't have an infinite amount of power, though, so you have a decision to make. What will you decide?"

Ganondorf saw that he had nothing to lose by hearing out the strange being. "What's your offer?"

"I bring you to Smash World and heal you. In return, you will have a new army to command, under my auspices."

"So I would be your underling," Ganondorf scoffed.

"That is a crude way of putting it, but in essence, yes. You would be serving me."

"And if I refuse?"

"I'll simply leave you here floating around in this nothingness to die."

Ganondorf struggled to grin. "I guess I don't have much of a choice then, do I? I accept."

"Excellent," Master Hand said. "And just so you know, chances are that you have not seen the last of Link. If he comes to our time, I will do everything in my power to set up a fight between the two of you, a fight that you will hopefully be able to win."

Ganondorf then grinned as Master Hand approached him and gathered him to himself. He then pulled Ganondorf into the portal and to Smash World. As he did so, he wondered if Ganondorf suspected that he had only told a half-truth and that his greatest hope was that Link would finish him off once and for all.


	19. Epilogue

Epilogue:

Meanwhile, back in the Twilight Realm, inside the stasis field that contained Link and the dying Magic Lord, what could have been centuries or even millennia for the outside world, was only a few passing moments for them. As he heard the ring of Rupees vanishing as the Magic Armor absorbed the stab. He watched as the Light consumed the Magic Lord's body, leaving nothing left but sparks of Light that dissipated after a few seconds.

Once the Magic Lord was dead, he away from the scene and soon saw the flow of clouds return to normal. Either he had walked out beyond the range of the stasis bomb, or the stasis bomb's effect deactivated, likely due to the fact that the Magic Lord's body had been completely annihilated. As he stood outside, he looked around. Centuries, at least, must have gone by, for the buildings that had once made up the city off in the distance now looked to be ruined and decrepit. There was nothing for him here. And he was completely and utterly alone. Still, he had accomplished his objective and had managed to help save Midna and the Twili from certain destruction. He then removed his Magic Armor, not wanting to use up any more Rupees since the realm was now devoid of enemies.

He scanned his surroundings and saw that the Palace of Twilight was nothing more than a series of ruins. It looked as if at least a thousand years had passed, for there was nothing in the ruins that suggested that anyone had been there for a very long time. Behind the palace was a series of ruins that had once been a city, likely the Kingdom of Twilight. All Link could do was hope that the Twili and Hyrule were safe, and that Midna, as well as his other friends had led good lives and died of old age surrounded by friends and family.

"As for your first wish, they are," came a young voice from not too far away that Link immediately recognized, sensing what was going through the young hero's mind. Link noticed that the had not answered him about his second question, causing his mind to race for a second before calming down once more.

He then turned and immediately saw the girl that he had first seen in the Temple of Light and that had been following him for a while standing not too far away. "You," Link blurted. "What are you doing here?"

"Helping you," the girl answered almost giddily. "Follow me."

The girl then crossed a bridge that was somehow still intact ran off into the city. Seeing no better alternative, Link followed after her. He followed her throughout the city, staying close to her as she weaved her way through the ruins, being careful to not let the scenery cause his gaze to wander, for he knew that if he did not focus on the girl, he would be forever lost in the maze of ruins. As they traveled, Link looked around and noticed that despite the damage the city suffered, some of it almost certainly due to the Magic Lords' attack, there were no skeletons inside the city, meaning that either the bodies of the dead must have been buried before the evacuation, or there were few to no fatalities in the attack.

Eventually, the girl made her way into a ruined building that looked to be on the verge of collapse. Link stopped at the entrance, wondering what the girl was thinking. After a few seconds, the girl reappeared at the entrance of the building and looked at them seriously. To Link, it was almost as if she were glaring at them in annoyance. "If you want to get out of here and return to Hylia, follow me. The path back home lies inside this building."

"Why are you helping me?" Link asked. "Are you a servant of the goddesses or a goddess yourself?"

"No," came the girl's response, much harsher than Link had expected. She was not amused. "My mission is to give you the opportunity to leave the Twilight Realm and return to the world of Hylia. However, it will be your decision as to whether or not you decide to return. I will tell you that things have changed in Hylia, and Hyrule, but some has remained the same. You were in stasis for a thousand years. Hylia has advanced in that time. It will be an unfamiliar world to you."

"Are you trying to tell me not to go?" Link asked.

"That will be your decision," the girl answered. "I am merely telling you everything you need to know to make your decision with your eyes open."

Link nodded and then followed the girl into the ruined building. When they entered, he stopped and stared at his surroundings. He saw a variety of drawings on the walls and ancient statues. The statues appeared to depict Humans. He quickly scanned the surroundings to see where the girl was. He found her running down a corridor. He followed her down the corridor until it came to a dead end. At the end of the corridor, the girl stopped and turned to him. "The path that leads back to Hylia is on the tile in front of me. Step on it to go to the Dark World. There, you will find yourself in a strange area and a path that will lead you to a green pipe that will take you back to Hylia."

The hero then stepped forward and stepped onto the floor in front of the girl. The floor then fell away and he fell into darkness, giving off a brief cry of surprise. The floor then closed around the hole after he had fallen. "Good luck," the girl wished as she vanished from the scene. At least, there would be no enemies for him to deal with, at least none that would be a match for him.

Link reappeared in a dark area that looked to be suspended in the air. He found himself on a relatively narrow tile walkway that was still wide enough for him to walk on without too much difficulty. He looked to be standing on a platform, or series of platforms, suspended in midair. He heard sounds emanating from the platforms, indicating that something seemed to be powering them but he had no idea how they could seemingly move on their own. Looking out over the darkness, he found what looked to be monstrous stalactites and stalagmites but he was not certain if they were real or illusory. Looking around the area, he proceeded to make his way towards a series of blue moving platforms. As he got closer to the moving platforms, though, a jet of flame shot out from a gray flamethrower. The flamethrower looked to be mechanical. Link waited for a second for the flames to die down and allow him to pass. Once the flames died, he crossed the area and proceeded to make his way across the platforms.

The platforms carried him to another gray platform that rose into a steep incline. He made his way up the incline and was quickly met with another jet of flame. Once the flames died down, Link ran forward and then made a U-turn and went up the second incline before the flamethrower shot again.

At the top of the incline, he was met with a series of platforms revolving around the center of a wheel. He knew that he would have to time his jumps perfectly in order to cross the gap. He waited for a platform to come close and he jumped onto it. He let it carry him across the gap until he came to an ovular platform. On this platform stood three small brown mushroom-like enemies that he had ever seen before. The hero jumped to the platform, which caused the mushroom-like enemies, called Goombas, to take notice and jump up in surprise. One of them was precariously close to Link and went to charge him. Link promptly drew his sword and dispatched the Goomba with a single swing of his sword. Link was surprised. These enemies were just as pathetic as Chus. As for the other two, Link was far enough away that he was able to make it to the small, thin wooden bridge to his right before the other Goombas caught up to him. While the Goombas were no real threat to him, he took no pleasure in killing so he decided to evade the enemies rather than fight them.

The wooden bridge took him to a long, turquoise platform that had several small pillars on it only slightly taller than him. Orbiting these pillars were silver balls with faces and electricity crackling about them called Amps. The hero, knowing that the Amps would be deadly if they touched him or even his metallic shield, deftly made his way across the platform, managing to avoid the Amps as he came to the end of the platform after it curved, revealing a wooden plank that jutted out from a gray platform only to retract once more. From what he could tell of the size of the platform, though, it looked hollow on the inside and he suspected that the wooden platform would provide footing on the other side as well, allowing him to cross the chasm. He proceeded to jump onto the wooden plank-like platform, and then onto the gray one before it retracted. Looking out over the scenery, he clearly saw another gray platform that led to two moving platforms that would lead him to the next step in his journey.

Link jumped down onto the wooden plank and then to the gray platform. He then went to the two wooden platforms circling each other and rode them to a relatively large stone platform. Here, a single Goomba initiated an attack on the hero but was quickly dispatched. From here, he turned to his left and saw two blue platforms that looked to be on seesaws. He jumped to the first one letting his weight tilt it until he felt safe being able to cross it and make it to the next platform. He crossed it and managed to jump onto the next platform. He waited for it to tilt before leaping up to a stone block. Once he did so, he could see a green pipe off in the distance. There was a steep blue hill he would have to climb, but he saw a purple block with an exclamation point on it. He figured it was a switch. The problem, though, would be how to get to the switch, for there were no Clawshot targets, nor any platforms leading up to the switch, save for ledges that were too high for him to jump up to and pull himself up. Still, he knew that it was the only chance he had, so he jumped down to the stone platform, where he was immediately accosted by two Goombas. He dealt with the Goombas with contemptuous ease and examined the situation. He quickly saw that he could use his grappling hook to climb up the ledges. He then proceeded to climb the ledges and make his way over to the purple switch.

As soon as he made it to the purple switch, Link stepped on it and pressed it down. A clicking sound emanated throughout the area as the steep, slippery incline in front of him immediately transformed into giant steps. However, the sound of ticking in the background meant that he only had a limited amount of time to climb the steps before they transformed back into a slide. There looked to be four steps in all, but they were large. He would have to jump to climb them, but they were not too high for him to reach, though. He climbed them as quickly as possible, keeping his ears open to the ticking. As he reached the next to last step, he heard the ticking pick up in tempo, indicating that he did not have much time to reach the top. Still, he was in no real danger of running out of time and reached the top, running off the last step only a second before the steps turned back into a slippery slide.

Standing at the top, he stared at the large green pipe in front of him sitting on a round stone platform. Remembering the words of the girl, he made his way to the pipe, believing his journey to nearly be over. He then climbed up to it and saw that it led downwards, something that surprised him since his initial entry to this world was through a trap door. Still, with nowhere else to go, he jumped down the pipe.

Link fell a long way but the fall was controlled and he was not traveling all that fast. He touched down onto the ground with no injury to speak of. Glancing around at his surroundings, he could tell that they were still in the Dark World. However, he were standing on a large round platform with no guardrails that was surrounded by eight spiked balls. Looking up and around the scene, he could not find the path he had used to get to this platform. In the middle of the platform, though, was what looked to be a darkened star with two eyes. There was a sparkle about the star, even though the hero felt as if the star contained little to no power. A feeling came over Link and he realized that the star was his path home. Wasting no time, the hero approached the star, reached out with his hand and touched it. He immediately felt himself being carried away from the Dark World, being led to locations unknown, similar in fashion to the warps at the ends of dungeons that he had gone through during the Invasion of Twilight. It was an exhilarating feeling and eventually, he felt himself rising quickly before entering a dark tunnel.

Link emerged from the dark tunnel and found himself jumping out of what seemed to be a trap door. He deftly landed on the ground and examined their surroundings. He was inside a hallway lined with a red carpet. He was definitely inside a building of some sort. If he had to guess, he would have guessed that it was a castle, but it was not any style of castle that he was familiar with. Looking back, he saw picture of a Human woman with blonde hair, blue eyes, wearing a pink dress with long white gloves, and also what looked to be a crown. He turned around and saw a door in the distance. He made his way over to the door. As he approached, though, he saw that the door did not have a handle. He was ready to try to push it open when instead, the doors split apart and slid open, granting him entry to another area of the building.

The hero stepped out and found himself standing on a floor with a checkered pattern. Looking out over the area, he felt as if his suspicion that this was a castle of some sort was confirmed. He appeared to be standing on a mezzanine, for there was a set of stairs that led down to the main level. He made his way towards the stairs and looked to the left. There, he found a door with a lock. He did not know if it was locked or not, but he did not want to intrude unless he really had to. He made his way down the steps and saw an area with a sun mark on the floor. Just ahead was a set of double doors that looked to be the exit to the castle. He noticed that they were small, though, and did not resemble any gate that he would have expected to be the entrance to a castle.

He was about to head to the exit when he saw the doors open. As the doors opened, in came a human woman with long blonde hair, blue eyes, and wearing a pink dress. He immediately recognized her as the woman in the painting from the room he had appeared from. She was flanked by two small humanoid beings with white mushroom caps with red spots that he would later learn were called Toads. As soon as the trio saw Link, they froze. "What the…how did he get in here?" the Toad on the princess's left asked.

"I don't know," the Toad on the right replied. "But we should get Princess Peach out of here now."

"Wait," Link called to them, raising his hand, showing that he had no weapons in his hand. "I'm not here to hurt you."

"Who are you and how did you get here?" Princess Peach asked, stepping forward cautiously. She then looked at him more appraisingly and took a step back in surprise. Still, she did not let on what she suspected and waited for Link to answer her question.

"My name is Link," the hero answered.

"Link?" Princess Peach asked curiously. "_The_ Link? From Hyrule?"

"I'm from Hyrule, but that's not where I was coming from when I came here."

"That can't be possible," Peach answered. "Link is in Hyrule right now. We just came back from a meeting with the King of Hyrule. He was standing right there beside him. He looked a lot like you. The only real difference was that he held a different type of sword and a magical shield.

"Could he have warped here?" the Toad on Peach's right asked. "Link has magic."

"But I don't have magic," Link told them.

"Where did you come from?" Peach asked, changing the subject.

"Originally, I came from Ordon Village, just outside of Hyrule. However, I arrived here from the ruins of Twilight City in the Twilight Realm and later from an unknown dark area with platforms."

"The Twilight Realm?" Peach asked.

"The Dark World?" one of the Toads asked, the only 'Dark World' he recognized being the one that Bowser had inhabited in an attack on the castle several years ago.

"Yes," Link answered, nodding towards Peach. "Why?"

"Because all contact with the Twilight Realm was cut off from Hyrule over a thousand years ago, just after the people there had invaded Hyrule. That was a long time before the Great War."

Link's eyes went wide. He had been thrown a thousand years into the future. Upon thinking about it, though, he should not have been surprised, and he quickly remembered the girl stating that he had been in stasis just as long. Still, he suspected that the automatic door he had gone through was the least of the changes in the world.

"I don't mean to be rude, but is there any way I could get back to Hyrule soon?" Link asked. "I need to know how it has changed."

"That may take a while," Peach answered. "While Hyrule is not hostile with any nation at the moment, it is still pretty insular. No one knows much about what is going on in there. You need a passport in order to enter into the country and the people there would not likely recognize you at the moment. I could get the ball rolling, but it will likely be at least a week or two before you can enter the country legally. It looks as if you'll probably have to stay with us for a time." Peach then turned to the Toads next to her and told them, "Have the staff prepare a guest room for Link. Make sure it's properly furnished but also give it an older style touch, too. Things have changed in a thousand years so I'd like to give him time to acclimate." She then turned to him and continued. "As a guest of my castle, I'll have to give you a pass, but that won't take too long." She went up a little closer and said in a quieter voice, "I've heard of your feats. You're impressive. There are legends spoken and written about you."

As she was talking, one of the Toads asked, "But what about the dinner with the Mario Brothers tonight? You've been planning this for quite a while."

Peach then looked at Link and turned back to the Toads, answering, "Tell the staff that they'll have one more mouth to feed. After all, this Link is a legendary hero, just like the Mario Brothers. They should all be celebrated."

With that, Peach took Link up the stairs and to the main throne room so he could get a pass for the castle and a card that would allow him to roam throughout Toad Town. As he departed, Peach asked him, "What types of foods do you like? I want your stay here to be as comfortable as possible. In addition, once you get your ID card, you'll be able to go anywhere you want inside the Mushroom Kingdom, as well as any of the shops."

"Thank you," Link answered. He then looked at the princess and said, "One more thing. I was wondering if you heard any news about a Twili named Midna. She was the Twilight Princess, and later the Twilight Queen and was a friend of mine."

Peach shook her head. "I'm sorry. I haven't heard of anyone like that. The closest I might know of someone like her was the Dark Woman who played a pivotal role in the Great War, but she was lost in the battle against Bowser the Great."

Link gave a frown. His eyes lightened at the mention of the Dark Woman, but his expression became more dour when he heard of the Dark Woman's fate. The only consolation was that she was mentioned as having been lost, rather than killed.

He did not say much as Princess Peach led him to his guest room, but was happy that she was going out of her way to be kind to him. He could not shake the feeling that something may have been going on in Hyrule at the moment, but he would worry about that later. All that mattered to him now was that he was back.

Meanwhile, back in Smash World, Ganondorf had been looking over various computer screens of various worlds, just as he had done every day for years on end. There was rarely anything of note. Master Hand was not planning any imminent attack on any world. His orders had only been to observe the worlds and Chosen Heroes that had been identified. As such, Ganondorf did so, knowing that any of the heroes on the screens before him could become a mortal enemy at a moment's notice. None of them would compare to Link, though, particularly the Hero of Twilight.

As he stared at the screens, he gave a sigh. One of them showed Humans fighting each other on a world far away from Hyrule, and with weaponry that he would have thought to be magical if he had not seen the technology of Smash World first. Another showed the picture of what looked to be a pink ball with stubby feet and arms fighting some sort of monster. Yet a third showed a Human with a blue jumpsuit, red helmet and a visor sitting in a floating machine racing against another human. The former Gerudo King, now Subspace General, gave another sigh. As he was about to rise, though, his eyes caught one of the monitors showing the picture of Princess Peach's castle. In the picture, he saw Peach, as well as some Toads. In the background, though, he saw Link going through a door in a castle. His eyes went wide with excitement at the sight. His face then twisted into an evil grin. "He's back." This time, when he fought Link, he would win.


End file.
